On Saturday, during the third session of the first match here, India completely dominated Bangladesh thanks to hundreds from Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, who both completed an emotional reintroduction into Test cricket and added a new chapter to their increasing reputation in the red-ball format.
Bangladesh was at 56 for no loss at tea, pursuing an unlikely 515 after India, who had been at 81 for three the previous night, declared their innings finished at 287 for four, extending their lead to 514.
The hosts’ surplus of runs was spearheaded by Gill (119 not out, 176b, 10×4, 4×6) and Pant (109, 128b, 148m, 13×4, 4×6), who combined for 167 off 217 balls for the fourth wicket.
When tea was served, Shadman Islam (age 21) and Zakir Hasan (age 32) were at the Bangladeshi crease.
But on that day, numbers don’t matter because Pant and Gill’s hundreds were more a testament to their determination to overcome overwhelming personal challenges.
After the horrific automobile accident in December 2022, Pant’s agony has been extensively documented. His response upon hitting his sixth Test hundred with a two off Shakib Al-Hasan highlighted the significance he placed on the blow.
Pant was standing in the middle of the crease, eyes closed, head tilted upward, and bat elevated, as if he were silently pleading with the Lord above to give him back cricket or maybe his life.
Gill kept a safe distance from the entire scene, preferring not to pry into his partner’s deeply personal moment.
Chepauk burst out and the two young men soon melted into a warm embrace.
Perhaps more importantly, Pant tied Chennai’s own “Thala,” MS Dhoni, for the most Test hundreds scored by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.
Because Gill lacked confidence in the conventional format, his troubles were more psychological than physical and so less evident than Pant’s.
Gill appeared to have turned the corner, though, after reaching his century against England at Visakhapatnam earlier this year. He confirmed this upward trajectory with his fifth Test century, which he achieved by hitting a single off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
However, all these emotions were suppressed when Gill, who started at overnight 33, and Pant were at work because it was time to enjoy watching them destroy Bangladeshi bowlers with such disparate styles.
The left-hander got out to a somewhat calm start, trying to get his eye in before being aggressive.
Around the first drinks break of the day, he pulled off spinner Miraz for a four, which was the breakaway moment.
After then, Pant’s demolition of Miraz turned into a defining aspect of the innings, as he reached his fifty off 88 balls.
After reaching fifty, the 26-year-old revealed a few of those classic Pant moments.
Started from overnight 12, Pant performed a trapeze act as he danced across the crease, captivating a sizable weekend crowd with his scooped six over Mahmud’s superb leg.
Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped him off Shakib at number 72, but that didn’t stop him from finishing his ton and giving a return catch to the diligent Mehidy.
Gill’s batting style is all about minimalism; he plays strokes with little flair.
Though they might not be straight out of the batting textbook, his short-arm pull from in front of the face and his zero follow-through punch over the covers, which he frequently used against Nahid Rana and Mahmud Hasan, were still effective.
With KL Rahul, Gill extracted 53 more runs off of 51 balls to lift India’s lead past 500.
Bangladesh concluded the session without losing a wicket, which is unusual for them in this Test, maybe motivated by the efforts of Gill and Pant.
