New Delhi: India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has come to the defence of captain Shubman Gill after his unfortunate run-out on Day 1 of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval. Gill, who has been in sensational form throughout the series, was dismissed for 21 off 35 balls following a misjudged single, brilliantly capitalised on by England pacer Gus Atkinson.
Speaking to the media after stumps, ten Doeschate acknowledged the frustration behind the dismissal but credited Gill’s continued brilliance with the bat across the series.
“I’m assuming not as frustrating as it is for him. He’s in the touch of his life. He made batting look really easy again today for the 40 minutes he was out there,” Doeschate said. “But these mistakes do happen. England bowled well during that little spell.”
The coach added that the run-out seemed to stem from positive intent rather than recklessness.
“It’s about getting the balance right—putting pressure on the fielders and looking for runs where possible. It was a misjudgment, no doubt. But given his performance throughout the series, we’ll let him get away with that one,” he added.
Before his dismissal, Gill had already etched his name into the history books. The 25-year-old surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s record of most runs by an Indian captain in a single Test series. Gavaskar had scored 732 runs in the 1978–79 home series against the West Indies. Gill, with 737 runs in nine innings at an average of 92.12—including four centuries and a top score of 269—now holds the new mark. He is also the leading run-scorer in the ongoing five-match series.
Gill is now just 38 runs away from surpassing Gavaskar’s overall record for the most runs by an Indian in a bilateral Test series.
India’s innings, however, stumbled after a promising start. Early dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal (2), KL Rahul (14), and Ravindra Jadeja (9), along with Gill’s run-out, left the visitors vulnerable. But Karun Nair’s unbeaten 52, along with Washington Sundar’s support, helped India recover to 204/6 by the end of the day.
