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"Gill Is As Good As Kohli": Sanjay Bangar Hopeful Of India's New Test Batting Setup

Soumyajit Dutta

Sanjay Bangar on Gill and Virat Kohli [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]Sanjay Bangar on Gill and Virat Kohli [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]

India's Test batting unit silenced doubters with a commanding performance in England, proving the team's transition phase after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirements is progressing smoothly. Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal led the charge alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's crucial contributions.

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes the new generation has seamlessly filled the void left by the modern greats, with Shubman Gill and Jaiswal particularly impressive as direct replacements in the batting order.

Sanjay Bangar Opens Up On Finding Ro-Ko's Replacement

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in an exclusive interview, Bangar shared how the youngsters are filling the places of the retired Indian greats.

"Who were they replacing? If you look at the No. 4 spot, Shubman Gill has done as good as a Virat Kohli could have done. And who has taken Rohit Sharma's place? It is Yashasvi Jaiswal and he has also had an equally good series to show for. Because Gill and Jaiswal got the runs, the Indian team never missed the services of Rohit and Virat," Bangar told ESPNCricinfo.

The batting coach-turned-analyst highlighted India's search for a pace-bowling all-rounder as the remaining puzzle in their Test setup. Experiments with Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy in England yielded limited success, leaving the team's balance slightly compromised.

"The Indian management has prioritised that over the last three to four seasons. But you want to have a fast-bowling all-rounder and if India does get that, then the combination will settle itself. Till the time India gets a proper fast-bowling all-rounder, you'll always have these question marks," Bangar explained.

Bangar Praises KL Rahul's Grit

Special praise was reserved for KL Rahul, who reinvented himself as a dependable middle-order batsman and slip fielder while showing newfound leadership qualities.

"He certainly looked the part and added to whatever he has done as a batsman by consuming a lot of balls and being very consistent throughout... You could also see a side of KL Rahul which wasn't seen earlier, where he was having a lot of chats with the opponents and the umpires at times," Bangar observed.

The 2-2 series draw in England, achieved without two of India's greatest modern batters, suggests the batting transition is ahead of schedule. With Gill, Jaiswal and Rahul forming a formidable new core alongside Pant and Jadeja, India's Test future appears in capable hands, provided they can unearth that elusive pace all-rounder.