Gill’s double ton puts India A in the driver’s seat against West Indies A

Shubman Gill smashed an unbeaten 204 against West Indies A on the third day of the third unofficial Test at Tarouba. The 19-year old was ignored for the Indian ODI squad and is currently playing in India A’s tour of West Indies A. His double century puts the Indian team in an advantageous position ahead of the final day of the four-day game.

India A team, led by Hanuma Vihari, had already clinched the series lead of 2-0 by winning both the previous matches. The third game was proving out to be a low-scoring contest until Gill and Vihari intervened. India had been shot out for 201 all out yet they managed to grab a slender lead of seven runs. They managed to bowl the hosts out for just 194 runs in the first innings.

Gill special

The third innings of the match proceeded in a similar manner as India collapsed to 14/3. Fuelled by his first-ball duck in the first innings, Gill batted steadily. Following the loss of night watchman, Shahbaz Nadeem, Vihari joined Gill at the crease. The duo added 315 runs for the fifth wicket. The 19-year old brought up his double ton at a strike rate around 82 while the captain went on to score an unbeaten 118. The partnership helped the visitors set a stiff target of 373 runs for West Indies.

At the end of the third day, West Indian openers safely negotiated 15 overs without losing a wicket. They will have to bat out the complete day to save the game or score another 336 runs to celebrate a consolation win. India’s bowling attack of Umesh Yadav, Avesh Khan, K Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem and Shivam Dube will be itching to take down the West Indian batting lineup.

This will be the final game of India A’s tour. They had earlier defeated the home team 4-1 in the five-match ODI series and have an assailable 2-0 lead in the unofficial Tests.