Gill Praises India's Lower Order Resilience Despite Lord's Test Loss

Gill Hails Lower Order's Grit Despite Lord's Test Defeat

Shubman Gill, the Indian captain, lauded the tenacity and resolve displayed by his team's lower order batsmen during the Lord's Test against England. Despite a narrow 22-run defeat, Gill acknowledged their efforts in pushing the match to the final session. India's chances appeared bleak after a disastrous morning session saw them slump to 82 for 7, still needing 111 runs for victory.

Jasprit Bumrah gave company to Ravindra Jadeja in the ninth wicket stand which lasted 22 overs © Getty

Ravindra Jadeja, however, orchestrated a spirited fightback, forging crucial partnerships of 30, 35, and 23 with Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj respectively, to bring India within touching distance of the target. Gill specifically praised Jadeja, who notched his fourth consecutive half-century of the series, scoring 61 of the 99 runs while facing 30 of the 55 overs bowled during his innings on the final day.

"He [Jadeja] is one of the most valuable players in India," Gill stated after the match. "The experience and skill set he brings with his bowling, batting, and fielding is rare. His composure today was tremendous. We discussed the lower order's contribution in previous matches, and their character and courage were outstanding."

Gill added, "We were in the game until the end, and it felt like we could have gotten very close if a partnership had added another 10 runs. It was a proud effort from the team."

The Indian captain lamented missed opportunities with the bat in the final two days, which made the 192-run chase a daunting task. The early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by a collapse that saw India slump to 58 for 4 on the fourth day, proved costly.

"We didn't play as well yesterday and today," Gill admitted. "It was important for the top order to have a partnership of 50 runs, which would have made batting easier later on. Unfortunately, we didn't perform as well as we have in the series. But it happens sometimes."

He continued, "We thought 190 [192] was still chaseable. We needed to play 20-25 overs well and aim for a couple of 50-run partnerships. The deeper we went, the easier it would have been."

Gill also downplayed any tension between the two sides, despite constant sledging throughout the match. "There would be times where there would be a little bit of heat from both sides. But I think that's what makes it so exciting," he said.

"At the end of the day, there is a lot of admiration within two teams. Both the teams try their best to win a match and perform. There can be moments where there would be some kind of heat. You are in the moment. You are trying everything to be able to do whatever it takes to make your team win. And I think it happens in a game of cricket," Gill explained.

Reflecting on the series scoreline of 1-2, Gill acknowledged that India had dominated for large parts of the three Tests. "I think the majority of the days if we see in the 15 days, we may have won more days than them. But the sessions that didn't go well have gone very badly. So we will have to find that balance when we know that things are not going according to plan."

"So how can we improve that? Or if the batting is collapsing, how can we turn a four-wicket session into 2 or 2? These are the small margins that are very important in any series. But still, I think this match was very close. Even now we felt that we are coming from [a defeat of] 20 runs. If there was a partnership of 10 runs, then there is more pressure on the other team," he concluded. "As a whole, if you look at the match, I am very proud of the effort that we put in."