As India took steps towards a series win on day four in Colombo, Shubman Gill did two things that would have been talked about much more not long ago. This was not the first time he has done these things, but this seems like a good time to take stock.
The Test was threatening to become a hot mess for India. The weather had forced India to enforce a follow-on on a pitch that hadn't deteriorated much. A third-wicket partnership between Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis was whittling down the deficit in a hurry, raising possibilities of a testing chase on a final-day pitch for India.
Sri Lanka were only 35 behind when Gill manufactured a wicket with the kind of catch that would get songs written about not long ago, just because how rare such catches were. Gill ran back from square leg while looking up at the ball, changed his direction mid-sprint and then dived to take the catch over his shoulder to dismiss Mendis and end a stand that had added 115 at over four an over.
This is arguably the most difficult catch to take. We still talk about Kapil Dev taking it off Viv Richards in the 1983 World Cup final. It takes supreme athleticism, early judgement, proper technique and good hands. Players have concussed themselves in the past, falling on their faces when trying these. Now they have become so common that we hardly pause to acknowledge how good these catches are. Travis Head took one in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Glenn Phillips makes them look routine. For someone with long-standing neck issues, Gill himself is particularly good at taking these. Remember Ben Duckett in Dharamsala?
As captain, Gill continued using his main spinners in short spells. Ravindra Jadeja bowled his 18 across six spells, and Manav Suthar his 18 across four. Saransh Jain, the third spinner, actually enjoyed a longer first spell of 11 overs. Some of it is match-ups-led with right-left batting styles, but over time Gill has had this tendency to not bowl spinners for long spells.
Among those who have captained in at least five Tests in Asia since 2023, Gill has given his spinners the shortest spells on average: 26 balls. Under Gill, 69% of the spinners' spells in Asia since 2023 have lasted five overs or fewer. No captain has changed spinners this frequently in this period. Rohit Sharma, for comparison, has given his spinners 35 balls in a spell on average. If five or below is a short spell for a spinner, only 53% of those have been short under Rohit. Corresponding numbers in Virat Kohli's captaincy were 34 and 57.
In an era gone by, this would have been a much bigger issue. Traditional wisdom says spinners like to get into long spells and keep wheeling away over after over. Gill has never captained R Ashwin, and it would have been interesting to see him take the ball away from him after he has taken wickets in the fifth and sixth over of a fresh spell. Like he did with Suthar after he had dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva and Sooriyabandara to wrest control back for India.
It is not as though Gill gives shorter spells to spinners because he has inexperienced spinners at his disposal. Even Jadeja's average spell has been much shorter under Gill than under Kohli and Rohit. The proportion of short spells has also been higher.
Now just because traditional wisdom says longer spells are good for spinners, it doesn't mean a captain in the 2020s needs to blindly follow it. Gill regularly has three spinners at his disposal, which might be playing a part in these short spells. He could also be settling in as a captain and possibly doesn't yet know his spinners inside out, their preferences and the ideal length of spells for them.
The most plausible explanation, though, is that there is some conviction there that shorter spells will get him the best out of his spinners. So far we have only anecdotal evidence that longer spells are good for spinners. An empirical study might be difficult with the limited data that cricket collects. This then is a good little experiment, and we will know the results the old-fashioned way: from how Gill uses his spinners in the years to come.