VISAKHAPATNAM: The clock on the electronic scoreboard was ticking down. 8...7...6...5... you could have even argued that Shubman Gill had five seconds to save his Test career, at least in the short-term. He was in the middle of a consultation with Shreyas Iyer. England and Tom Hartley were celebrating after what looked like a simple leg-before decision for the umpire.
Gill didn't want to send it upstairs but after some cajoling from Sheyas' end (it perhaps took one struggling batter to identify another struggling batter), India's No. 3 put his short-term future in the hands of DRS. The technology showed a minor spike as the ball passed the outside edge; England weren't too convinced but the crowd roared in delight. Gill couldn't believe what he had just seen but managed a feeble smile of relief.
In the next over, the clock ticked down again. This time, it was James Anderson's turn to hit his pads with a ball that moved in after pitching. Umpire's call. Anderson was finding plenty of movement and had already accounted for Rohit Sharma (bowled) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (caught in the cordon). Under the helmet, an anxious-looking Gill survived again.
But he was fighting. Raging against the doubters (and proving some of them right in the process). When he's on it, it is a joyous experience. Watching him bat is to be in the middle of a cymbals-led orchestra. A glorious symphony of thunderous crash, bang, wallop. Right now, none of that is true. It resembles a band whose singer has a throat infection.
But — there is a reason why this is a truism — the only way to escape a rut is to a) befriend luck and b) spend more time in the middle. A very tentative-looking Gill had patted back a leg-stump half-volley off Tom Hartley to mid-wicket.
Thirty minutes later, he clipped it past the man for four. In the morning session, he was happy to survive deliveries even if they were meant to be hit. After he moved past 50, he danced down to Rehan Ahmed to loft him down the ground for six. Off the next, he swept him through deep square leg. There was also an elegant drive to an over-pitched delivery through wide mid-on for a four off the next ball. He had pillaged 14 in three balls to move into the 80s.
For a batter who had failed to cross 13 in six of his previous 12 innings, this was a booster shot. During this run stretching back to last March, he had crossed 35 only once (36 against South Africa). Before this onslaught, the dice again fell his way. He tried to defend a Hartley delivery but the ball turned across the bat, took his edge and bisected the gap between 'keeper and slip.
Just after he had passed the 50 mark, a graphic came up on TV. He had middled 95% of the deliveries he attempted to play. Sometimes, he can get bogged down and the only release shots available to him are boundaries. His first 50 proved the point — 38 out of his first 52 runs were in boundaries. There is of course nothing wrong with this but teams can put pressure if you don't have the flick off the pads for a single or if you can't knock the ball into the gap in front of square on the off-side.
But something happened after his first 50 in 10 months. He got his footwork back. As a result, he was more confident in milking the bowling. In one Hartley over, he worked him in front of square on both sides for singles. He did the same thing to Rehan. The feet were in sync and was in control of his own destiny.
In the 52nd over, he had that feeling again. After calmly nudging a Shoaib Bashir ball off his pads to the leg side, he walked the single. Even as the crowd erupted, the 100 was a muted celebration; more relief than anything.
After a few seconds, the helmet came off before looking skyward. It was reminiscent of the village folk dancing their hearts out in relief after looking at rain-bearing clouds in Lagaan. Here, though, Gill was looking at clear blue skies. There was no sign of grey or black on the horizon.
A few balls after his third 100, he got out; a reverse-sweep kissing the gloves before ballooning to the keeper (it was rather poetic that England sent the decision to the third umpire with two seconds on the clock).
In Lagaan, the villagers were fooled as the sun returned. After a long winter, Gill will want the sun to stay on his side for the foreseeable future.