Shubman Gill's Stellar Test Comeback: Manjrekar Weighs In

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar discusses Shubman Gill's remarkable comeback in Test cricket, highlighting his impressive innings against Bangladesh where he scored 119 runs. Manjrekar delves into Gill's career trajectory, while India sets a challenging target for Bangladesh in the ongoing Test series.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar opened up about Shubman Gill's impressive return to red-ball cricket, commenting on his previously faltering Test career. In the second inning of the first Test against Bangladesh, Gill scored a crucial 119 runs from 176 balls at a strike rate of 67.61 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, hitting 10 boundaries and four sixes.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar mentioned Gill's earlier opportunities against weaker oppositions and noted his initial successes in Australia. 'His Test career went off the rails slightly. He started very well against Australia in Australia - got a 90. After that, he had a few opportunities against not-so-great oppositions in India and didn't quite cash in, didn't get the big scores, and then had the tough tours. South Africa is never easy and then came to India and failed in that Hyderabad Test,' Manjrekar explained.

As of the end of day three, Bangladesh stood at 158/4 with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (51*) and Shakib Al Hasan (5*) at the crease. Bangladesh began the post-Tea session at 56/0 with Shadman Islam (21) and Zakir Hasan (32) unbeaten, but India gained momentum with Jasprit Bumrah removing Zakir for 33 and Ravichandran Ashwin claiming three critical wickets.

Earlier, the second session of Day three of the Chennai Test saw India at 205/3 with Rishabh Pant (82*) and Gill (86*) unbeaten. India had a commanding 432-run lead, with Pant marking his return to the longest format with a century and Gill reaching an unbeaten 119. Both players marked their innings with splendid shot-making, with Gill's innings punctuated by 10 boundaries and four sixes.

KL Rahul also contributed with a valuable 22 runs off 19 balls, featuring four boundaries. India declared their innings at 287/4, setting a formidable target of 515 runs for Bangladesh to win the first game of the series.

(With inputs from agencies.)