It took Gill 12 Tests and 22 innings to achieve the landmark. Mann had taken him under his wing since the day the Gill family moved to Mohali from Fazilka. For nearly one and a half decades, Mann has been his mentor, elder brother, teammate and friend.

Mann feels that the ODI century against Zimbabwe earlier this year had taken the monkey off Gill’s back but this Test century is more satisfying., “I will always tease him about that 91 at the Gabba. This time before going to Bangladesh, he was supremely confident of scoring a ton, and he did it, ” Mann told The Indian Express.

Mann, who has played three ODIs for India, explained how Gill remained focused during his lean phase., “He was a bit upset with the way he was getting out after scoring 30s and 40s. He knew that he was getting a longer rope just because of his immense talent.

Shubman Gill and Gurkeerat Mann taking a selfie after their gym session. (Express Photo)

“It was his first lean patch. Right from his U-12 days, he was known for scoring big runs. Even during this phase, when he was not able to convert his starts, his work ethic never changed. He always trained hard, he’s always hungry to do well, ” said Mann.

A shin injury also played a part in Gill’s drop in form. His father Lakhwinder Gill said, “It troubled him for several months.”

“It took some time to figure out what the injury was. After the World Test Championship final, he was out of the Test series against England. The injury recurred in December last year, during the home series against New Zealand. The shin injury troubled him for six months.”

Lakhwinder feels his son was never out of form or short of confidence. “He was always scoring those 40s and 50s. But that century was not coming. Form was never an issue. A batsman is out of form if he is struggling to get into double digits. He was always getting those starts.”

“He made his debut against the likes of, Pat, Cummins, , Mitchell, Starc, Josh, Hazlewood, Nathan, Lyon and did well against that attack. Confidence was never an issue. It was just a slight adjustment that he did before the IPL season and is reaping the rewards, ” the proud father added.

Expanding his game

What are the adjustments that Gill made in his game? Mann explains: “He has this immense self-belief and game awareness. He is also a very keen learner. He will observe Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma very closely, pick a shot that he doesn’t have and will work on it.”

Shubman Gill and Gurkeerat Mann played for Gujarat Titans in the IPL (Express Photo)

“Before the IPL, he told him about how Kohli uses his feet against spinners, and his inside-out strokes against them. Ten minutes later, I saw him practising those shots in the nets.”

However, the T20 World Cup snub hit Gill very hard. He had played a crucial role in Gujarat Titans’ victory in their inaugural IPL season, scoring 483 runs, but was still not given a chance in the shortest format.

“He was sad after that World Cup snub. But talents like Shubman try to find a way. His words were: ‘I will score so much that they won’t be able to drop me from the next world cups. From now onwards, I just want to perform in all formats and that is my only aim.’ He is not someone who will shut himself down if runs are not coming. He continues to work hard,

Gill’s strike rate in white-ball cricket was also made an issue. He was never known for his six-hitting prowess and has been given the role of an anchor by his IPL franchise. “Earlier, he would hardly play any aerial strokes and would hit down the ground, pick gaps, and run hard between wickets. The new dimension he has added to his game is his six-hitting ability. And it has not come in a few days. I have seen him practising power-hitting right after his first IPL season. He used to hesitate while taking the aerial route, but now he smashes it with authority. That’s the only change I have seen in his batting in recent times.”