Ind vs SA: Captain Gill returns to Eden - where it all began for him

The tall figure of Shubman Gill was leaning on the square earmarked for the first Test against South Africa as both teams got down to business at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. The rest of the think tank joined in soon and a long, animated conversation began with the curator – leaving no doubt that the pitch will attract a lot of eyeballs over the next few days.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, alongwith with his deputies Sitangshu Kotak and Morne Morkel had made a dash to the venue on Monday evening and was reportedly insistent on seeking more help from the track for his spinners. They were in a huddle with Sujan Mukherjee, the curator and a senior member of the BCCI pitch curators’ committee – and it would be interesting to see the measures taken over the next two days to make the surface drier.

It could be well be a double-edged sword for India about what they wish for as the Proteas have enough quality in their spin department to complement the firepower in a pace attack led by Kagiso Rabada. The experienced Keshav Maharaj leads their three-pronged spin attack alongwith Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthuswamy, the Indian origin bowler who emerged as Player of the Series in the last 1-1 drawn Test series against Pakistan. Not to speak of the damage Mitchell Santner of New Zealand had inflicted on the hosts with a 37-wicket haul from three Tests last year.

A return to the historic venue, meanwhile, completes a full circle for the 26-year-old Gill. From a lanky batter (fresh from being a part of the Under-19 World Cup winning team) who showed class and promise on his IPL debut for Kolkata Knight Riders at their home venue in 2018 – he has come a long way.

Much like Gambhir’s long association with the city and the conditions here, first as the KKR captain for a good six seasons and then as a successful coach in 2024, Gill’s ties with the venue goes back a long way. It was before the auction of 2022 when he was released by KKR, a decision which may have hurt Gill, but a switch to Gujarat Titans also marked his stepping out of the comfort zone and grooming for a leadership role.

However, there is a growing feeling whether it’s time to ponder over the workload management of Gill, who is India’s only mainline batter to be playing all three formats, a la Virat Kohli at his prime. Just reflect on his schedule from the beginning of the year and it shows the batter simply had no downtime since the IPL – the testing England tour where he amassed 774 runs, then Asia Cup T20 in the UAE, a two-Test series against the West Indies at home, the white ball series in Australia where he played both the formats and now back to the demanding Test format against the World Test Championship (WTC) champions.

Taking to the nets first in company of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill had a long hit at the nets as less than half the squad reported for the first day’s practice. Apart from the duo, Jasprit Bumrah, senior pro Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nirtish Kumar Reddy and Sai Sudarshan went through their paces as the rest – who were busy turning out for India A against a touring South Africa A side in Bengaluru – will join on Wednesday.   

The haste in which Gill has been hoisted as the T20 vice-captain as well as the ODI captaincy – in addition to the responsibility of leading in Tests – raises valid concerns about the pressure on him. ‘’No one has done him (Gill) a favour by appointing him the Test and one-day captain. I think he deserves every bit of it. He’s worked hard and he ticks all the boxes…what more can a coach ask for?,’’ Gambhir said about his blue-eyed boy and man of the moment in Indian cricket.

Hopefully, Gill can soak it in all and serve with a smile!