Walking on air: Gill can’t conceal his delight on reaching his century.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
Shubman Gill speaks softly and to the level — in sharp distinction to his aggressive, never-say-die perspective on the area.
The 23-year-old had proven that he wasn’t afraid of taking on challenges when he hit Nathan Lyon for six or took Cameron Green to the cleaners on Saturday. “On wickets like these, it is a little difficult to score runs fluently. But it’s always important to keep trying to be positive and aim for those singles,” Gill informed the media after the day’s play.
In his 353-minute keep at the crease, Gill put up three 50-plus stands — with captain Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli — to hold India in the recreation.
Constant apply
Constant apply had helped him play with a straight bat by way of the mid-wicket, he stated. “It’s one of those shots you automatically develop once you play the bouncers. I used to practise playing bouncers with a plastic ball on a cement surface… (the shot) kind of developed as I practised it over and over again and it was more instinctive than anything else,” he stated.
After Rohit’s dismissal, Gill cast a 247-ball 113-run stand with Pujara. The two spoke each now and then on how to grasp in there. “There wasn’t much help for the bowlers and they got some big runs. So, it was important for us to not lose many wickets and just bat the whole day…”
With the temperatures hovering to 32°, it’s not simple to bat on. “You need to tell yourself that things are going well. There were times when the boundaries had dried up, I had to control myself and understand that it’s just one of those phases,” he stated.
“And then, if you stick to your process, you end up hitting a couple of boundaries in an over. It’s a process to not lose your patience in challenging situations. At times, you do lose patience but it all depends on the situation and where your team is placed at,” he stated.
Reassessment pays off
After a promising begin to his Test profession in opposition to Australia at the fag finish of 2020, Gill failed to convert begins and was in and out of the facet. When issues seemed troublesome, he had to step again and do some evaluation.
“In between, there came a phase when I scored just 40s and 50s. Despite being settled, I was becoming over-defensive and was putting a lot of pressure on myself in a bid to convert the start. That was not my game. So, I had to tell myself that when I get settled, I should not get out playing on the defensive because it was not my original game. I decided not to put additional pressure…”
That transfer paid off as he scored 110 in the second essay of the first Test in opposition to Bangladesh in Chattogram in December final yr. That boosted his confidence and overcoming the disappointment in Indore in the earlier fixture, Gill stepped up and scored a ton when it mattered most. After all, by his personal admission, Test cricket “is all about spending as much time as possible in the middle”.
