Yograj Singh, former India cricketer and father of Yuvraj Singh, was full of praise for Shubman Gill after his record-breaking double century against England at Headingley in the second Test match of the ongoing series. But the praise quickly turned into frustration as he criticised Gill’s dismissal after reaching 269, calling it a wasted opportunity for an even bigger score.
Gill created history at Headingley by scoring a sensational 269 in the first innings, breaking multiple records along the way. His 269-run effort is now the highest individual score by an Indian captain on English soil, eclipsing the long-standing record held by Mohammad Azharuddin. He also registered the highest Test score by an Indian in England. Gill broke Virat Kohli's record of highest score by an Indian captain in a Test innings.
Because of Shubman Gill’s 269, India finished their innings at 587 runs. The day ended with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj’s bowling brilliance as the duo combined to dismiss England’s top three. At stumps on Day 2, England's score read 77/3.
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Yograj Singh Credits Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir for Shubman Gill's Double Hundred
Yograj Singh, speaking to the media, revealed that Yuvraj had personally worked with Gill. He stressed the importance of quality mentorship and pointed to Yuvraj and Gautam Gambhir as examples of how young players should be guided.
He spoke about the role of good coaching and how players should be pushed to aim for even higher milestones.
"Yuvraj Singh personally coached Shubman Gill. Shubman Gill is a great player... One should learn from Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir about how to coach players. If Brian Lara can score 500 runs, why can't we?" Yograj said as quoted to ANI.
Yograj believes Indian batters should think bigger when they are well set, referring to Brian Lara’s world record of 501* runs.
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"It Was Painful to Watch Him Get Out" - Yograj Singh on Shubman Gill's Dismissal
Yograj said he was hopeful Gill would remain unbeaten after crossing 200. He felt the dismissal was disappointing, especially given how well Gill was batting. Even Yuvraj, who had worked closely with Gill, shared the same feeling, as per Yograj.
"When Shubman was batting on 200, I hoped he would stay not out on 250. Watching him get out was painful. Even Yuvraj felt the same. When you’re set like that, getting out is a crime."
He explained that when a player is well set, small mistakes do not matter as much. But getting dismissed after doing all the hard work is what hurts the most.
"When you’re unbeaten on 200 or 250, your mistakes get masked, your confidence grows. But getting dismissed at that stage – after doing all the hard work – that’s where the pain lies. People were questioning Gill’s form. To those people, I say – if you haven’t played the game, you don’t have the right to comment," Yograj opined.
