The atmosphere makes everything around it quieter, even a little lazier. As Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill strolled into the nets, you could hear the graze of stud marks on the earth, the firm thud of the bat on the turf, and the excited whisper of the net bowlers, restlessly tossing the ball in their hands to demonstrate their craft against two of the finest batsmen around, two of the most graceful stroke-makers in the world.
The net bowlers gathered beside the nets where Sharma was batting, mostly in their late teens with scraggly stubbles. But their collective gaze would soon be drawn to Gill. For the next hour or so, Gill drew scattered onlookers’ attention to him with a blaze of sumptuous strokes as satisfying as any net session, revealing his boundless talent and irresistible touch.
So much so that he made people forget Rohit was batting beside him; he made people stop what they were doing and watch him bat, not in a real match but during an optional practice session. Even Rohit would give his colleague admiring glances.
Whether Gill plays the Test or not is uncertain u2014 in some ways, debating or dwelling on whether he should or should not is pointless u2014 but the appeal of his batting is irresistible, endowed with a hypnotic quality that draws you into them. Gill could captivate you with his leaves and stance alone.
Tall and upright, his upper body leaning forward, bat held firmly but not stiffly beside his back leg, his body alignment micro-honed to perfection, almost a statue-like symmetry, a photograph of his stance from side-on could grace the walls of an art gallery.
Rohit’s and the team’s predicament is understandable. To drop or not to drop a batsman they believe can crack the consistency code while riding through stormy times for another gifted batsman in golden touch.
The team is winning, and Rahul, a batsman in whom they have invested heavily, may be given another chance at redemption. The logic also holds that an in-form batsman would make a good team look even better. Opening is one of the few positions in this team that remains a concern, even though Virat Kohli has shown signs of rediscovering his Test-match form.
Perhaps it would not indicate anything, but if Gill replaces him in Indore, it will be due to Gill’s undeniable talent and touch rather than the team management’s waning faith in Rahul’s abilities. Even the blue and yellow wooden benches beside the nets could tell how well he batted in the nets.
