Shubman Gill has found some answers three Tests into the five-match series, hitting 252 runs at 42, including a match-winning 104 in Visakhapatnam and a brilliant 91 in Rajkot.
Shubman Gill faced two hurdles when he started the Test series against England: a barren run that seized him for nine innings, which was exacerbated when he slid down to play at a relatively new No. 3 position at this level. Gill has found some solutions three Tests into the five-match series, collecting 252 runs at 42, including a match-winning 104 in Visakhapatnam and a brilliant 91 in Rajkot.
For Gill, it was all about dealing with the expectations he had set for himself, rather than making any major technical modifications to his batting.
“It’s tough (standing up to his own expectations). When people from outside talk about all of this, it doesn’t make much of a difference to me. But the expectations I set for myself left me disillusioned,” Gill remarked during a press appearance here on Wednesday.
Gill, on the other hand, stated that he has maintained the same level of expectations for himself while learning to adapt to them.
“You will undoubtedly have some expectations about how you want to play for the squad and the country. But I don’t believe that has changed my mind. I still hold the same set of expectations for myself.
It all comes down to your ability to rapidly move on, forget about them, and get ready for the next challenge. That’s what separates great players from mediocre players,” he continued.
The 24-year-old started batting at No. 3, departing from his traditional opening position, and was unable to hit a fifty in 11 straight innings, including the Hyderabad Test against England last month.
The slump began in the middle of India’s West Indies tour last year and persisted till he broke it in the Visakhapatnam match against England.
Even though Gill has batted at No. 3 in domestic matches previously, he claimed the position posed a new challenge.
“As such, it wasn’t anything I had never done in my life. I had batted at No. 3 and No. 4 for India A and in a few Ranji Trophy matches. My game only required a few minor technical adjustments.
However, starting an innings differs since you don’t have as much time to reflect because you have to bat immediately after the toss. It is you who is determining the atmosphere.” According to Gill, being a middle-order player required him to bat according to the circumstances.
However, there is a specific circumstance that you must bat at whether you bat at three or four. You’re setting the stage if a few wickets have fallen early. You dictate the conditions when you open, but you will play the scenarios when you play in the middle order.”
Gill supported his theory with the Vizag and Rajkot Test instances. When India was 30 for 2, Gill was joined by Shreyas Iyer. He batted for about 48 overs and had to steer the hosts’ innings for the duration of their second innings.
In Rajkot, the right-hander said he played a slightly different role in the second innings as he supported a marauding Yashasvi Jaiswal (214).
Even if I had been feeling more at ease or collected (in Vizag), I would not have changed how I played. However, in terms of the match circumstances, I was clearly feeling a little differently at Vizag than I had in the previous India matches.
However, things were different in Rajkot, where we had a commanding advantage of about 300 runs. In light of that, the innings was far more subdued and peaceful.” The primary cause of India’s defeat in the first Test was the batters’ inability to perform well after being given a start.
There was a discussion in the locker room, according to Gill, about turning the starts into significant hits in order to put the opposition under duress.
“Many players received the starting lineup in the first Test, as you can see. They played eighties and nineties and about fifty balls. Sadly, none of the batters was able to secure a significant score despite having ample opportunity.
“So, we had a conversation, and the point was that it really matters to both us and the opposition if a batsman becomes settled and scores a large total, like 150 or 200. Since batting in India becomes difficult on the fourth or fifth day, it will be beneficial to get runs in the first innings, he said.
