Shubman Gill gave a strong response to his critics because this young player played a brilliant century on the third day of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, strengthening India’s position.

This was a controlled innings by Gil, overcoming some early difficulties to score 104 runs off 147 balls. While it boosted the right-handed batsman’s confidence significantly, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was critiquing his technique. Pietersen praised the young player but also mentioned Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting in his criticism of Gil’s ‘lazy’ technique

The technical flaw is that he is not adequately prepared before throwing the ball, and it’s a debate I’ve had with people around me, whether you have a trigger or not, whether you involve yourself in the game. I believe that in the Test match field, the bowlers are a bit quicker, forcing you to make quick decisions. The key here is that he needs a trigger. Peterson said on Geo Cinema, “Shubman Gill’s batting is very good… I would say the way he stands at the crease, he is almost lazy.”

Before making any move, he waits for the ball to be thrown. And I would like to see if the pressure is building up; just get ready a bit. Watch all the great players. Tendulkar may not have done it to that extent, but on several occasions, he did. They say Ricky Ponting didn’t have a trigger, but he had the front-foot press. Even Lara had one. They all had a trigger, and they involved themselves in the game before the release.”

With Shubman Gill’s splendid century, India set a target of 399 runs against England.

Returning to form, Gill scored 104 runs off 147 balls. Before getting out at 255 runs in India’s second innings, all-rounder Axar Patel (45) and Ravichandran Ashwin (29) played crucial innings.

Gill and Axar shared an 89-run partnership, and before that, Ashwin contributed with two boundaries and a six to extend India’s lead. Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley took four wickets for the guests, who are currently leading the series 1-0 in the five-match series.