IND vs ENG 2024: “He’s the next one” – Alastair Cook expects Shubman Gill to follow in the footsteps of Virat Kohli

Former England Test skipper Sir Alastair Cook expects Shubman Gill to fill in the big shoes of Virat Kohli. Gill scored a brilliant knock of 104 runs on the third day’s play of the second Test match against England at Vizag.

The youngster was under the pump as he was averaging below 20 in his last 13 Test innings but he was able to prove his mettle. Gill scored 11 fours and two sixes as he played at the top of his game.

The right-hander added 81 runs with Shreyas Iyer whereas he added 89 runs with Axar Patel. Gill had a fantastic run in 2023, scoring 1584 runs in ODIs and ending as the top-scorer in the year but he hasn’t been at his best in the red-ball version in the recent past. However, Gill played a key knock on the third day’s play and helped India score 255 runs to take a lead of 398 runs.

Cook reckons it will be crucial for Gill to handle the pressure of a billion fans just like legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have done.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Cook said, “Gill played beautifully. He has serious talent… and there was probably quite a lot of pressure on his shoulders. At the World Cup [in India], all the billboards were of Kohli, but he’s the next one they want to step into his shoes.

“That’s a big thing to have the pressure of a country the size of India on your shoulders. As a young talent, that’s something that the likes of Tendulkar and Kohli have dealt with… and he now has to learn to deal with it.”

Gill’s place in the team was under scrutiny but he was able to seal his place. Cook added Gill made sure that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel can not ignore him for the remaining three Test matches.

“What we’ve seen today is just how talented he is, the shots he has, and we’re definitely going to see him the rest of this series. He was out of form, hadn’t scored many runs, and there’s Rahul and Kohli to come back into the side, but he’s made sure now that the selectors can’t ignore him.”

India needs nine more wickets whereas England needs another 332 runs to win the second Test.