A Trial By Fire: The 'Virat Kohli Mentality' Ultimatum For Shubman Gill

By Prashant for PuneriPages.in

There’s something brutally poetic about Indian cricket. One day you’re the golden boy, and the next, you’re a headline debating your downfall. That’s exactly where Shubman Gill finds himself. And now, he’s being served an ultimatum that’s as Indian as it gets: “Bring out the Virat Kohli in you, or step aside.”

The Kohli Mentality: What Does It Even Mean?

Let’s break this down. When someone says “have the Virat Kohli mentality,” they’re not asking you to mimic his batting stance. They mean channel his obsession. His war cry. His refusal to accept mediocrity.

Kohli’s mindset is not just about aggression—it’s about ownership. About walking into every match like it’s personal. Like he owes it to every fan screaming his name. That fire in his eyes? It’s not anger. It’s belief. An unshakable, sometimes irrational belief that he will win this—no matter what.

And that’s what they want from Shubman now.

Why Gill?

Because he’s that good. Because we’ve all seen what he can do when he’s on song. That pull shot. That calmness. That sense of time freezing when he bats. But now, that calmness looks like hesitation. That elegance? It’s bordering on passive.

The numbers speak. In the last 12 Test innings, he hasn’t scored a single fifty. Not a disaster, but for someone India has earmarked as the next big thing? It’s worrying.

Especially when you’ve been promoted to No. 3—possibly the most prestigious and pressure-packed spot in Indian Test cricket.

A Mental Game, Not Just a Batting Slump

This isn’t just about technique. It’s about intent. Self-belief. That’s what makes this so frustrating—Gill’s not out of form. He’s out of rhythm. Out of that fearless headspace that allowed him to dominate in Australia, or light up IPL 2023.

What’s missing is the bite. The why. The urge to take responsibility.

Why the Pressure is Fair—And Also Brutal

We’re not talking about just any series. This is the final Test of a hard-fought campaign against England. A match that could define the narrative leading up to the WTC Final.

And when your predecessor at No. 3 was Cheteshwar Pujara—the stoic wall of India—you don’t get unlimited chances. Not when Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, or even Patidar are itching for that spot.

So What Now?

This isn’t about throwing Gill under the bus. It’s about reminding him—and ourselves—why we believed in him in the first place.

The Kohli mentality doesn’t mean you turn into a shouting, chest-thumping machine. It means you walk out there knowing it’s your stage. Your moment. That you don’t need anyone else’s approval to go out and dominate.

And honestly? We want to see that Shubman. The one who made us believe again. The one who had the audacity to hook Pat Cummins and the grace to smile doing it.

This match isn’t just a Test—it’s a test of character.