Chennai: It's time to reflect on India's rusty front-order batting. It's time to think about whether India's bowlers adapted well enough to the third day's stretch in Chennai, as Bangladesh quickly scored 62 runs for the first wicket. But now it's time to understand the mindset of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, where there are no half measures, either in defence or attack. A determined fifth Test hundred from Gill, complementing a storming sixth Test hundred from Pant – who was playing his first Test in almost two years – put India in an enviable position while underlining an invigorating truth: Gill's and Pant's time is coming.

We probably got the first hint of this back in 2021, on the fifth day of the Gabba Test, when India stared at a 328-run target with a line-up devoid of Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin. Cheteshwar Pujara was a rock, but this comeback ran on the fuel provided by Gill at the top and Pant at the bottom. The promise was real, but only when tempered by consistency can it be converted into expectation. Almost four years later, with Gill scoring his third hundred of 2024 and Pant returning to Test batting as if he had never left, India can be more than reassured.

This was no Gabba, even though it had rained overnight and Bangladesh were not going to give up without a fight. Gill and Pant came out in the morning with 33 and 12 respectively while India had a comfortable 308-run lead, so they had no reason to be cautious. But they did. “We talked about trying to put in a little more time today because the rain might leave a little more moisture on the wicket,” Gill said at the post-match press conference. “But after we had bowled three or four overs, we tried to dominate because it wasn't really about runs for us at that point.”

Pant's carefree spirit was the key to this counter-attack. His batting is often borderline but on days like this, when time is of the essence and there is not much at stake, there is no reason to hold back. That meant he single-handed Mehidy Hasan Miraz in typical Pant fashion and reverse-swept Shakib Al Hasan to set the tone for the innings. And then there was the drop of Najmul Hossain when Pant was on 72, an invitation for the 26-year-old to go wild. Six, four, four, two singles followed by a two and Pant raced to a hundred as only he could. At the other end, Gill played his game, using his feet beautifully to get under the ball and find answers to all sorts of shots Bangladesh came up with.

Gill and Pant are equally watchable batsmen, but technically they are vastly different. Pant's innovative streak in batting comes from an impulse to stay one step ahead of the bowlers and the fielding plan. He gives chances but also demands a lot. Gill is more level-headed, more of a model in the way that coaches always come back to, the way he leans into a cover drive with a still head. It is this training that has helped Gill make the switch from opening batsman to dropping to No. 3. In terms of batting chronology, it is not a huge change, but it is quite noticeable.

The IPL has also played a major role in that growth. First with Kolkata Knight Riders, then Gujarat Titans, Gill's value increased as a batsman who could make up for lost time up front with majestic ease in hitting boundaries at the back. Pant, on the other hand, has tried to bring some pragmatism to his T20 batting. That these modifications can find ways to trickle down into Test mode was evident in the way they defended and then attacked, not necessarily in unison but with such pleasing unity that India added 124 runs in 28 overs of the first session.

India eventually surrendered at 287/4, giving Bangladesh an improbable 515 to win. They came back with momentum nonetheless, with Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam trying to score from every length error by the pacers. That subsided as Ashwin got going, but it was only after tea that Bangladesh began to falter. First to go was Hasan, brilliantly caught in the gully by Yashasvi Jaiswal. Hossain tried to attack Ashwin after Islam was caught at short midwicket, and even took a sixer from him. But Bangladesh's will was broken when Mominul Haque was lured by Ashwin's drift and the ball turned just enough to hit the top of his off-stump. Mushfiqur Rahim smacked Ashwin with a miss to KL Rahul at mid-on and although Hossain is unbeaten on 51, the game is all but over for the visitors.