Indian cricketer Shubman Gill has discussed his choice to bat lower in the order for red-ball cricket. This shift to No. 3 enabled Yashasvi Jaiswal to step in and open the innings alongside captain Rohit Sharma.
Gill at first faced hardships in his new role, scoring 45 runs just in 3 innings during West Indies tour of 2023. This awful performance went on with several unimpressive results in South Africa too.
There was pressure on him after a split start to the home series against England but he scored an important century during the second innings of the second Test in Vizag. A couple of fifties and another hundred later, he was able to make his critics shut up and confirmed his position.
“Even when I was not scoring runs, I always felt I made the right call (to move to number 3). It was never about the number, it was just about my own performance. It was more about me being able to play both spin and pace.”
“In the India A and Ranji Trophy matches I played, I batted at number 5, 4, and 3 as well and scored some runs there, so I was always confident of scoring some runs there apart from opening,” Shubman Gill said ahead of Day 4 of the first Test against Bangladesh (via The Indian Express).
On a bleak note, Gill started the home season by making a duck in just 8 balls during the initial innings of a Test match being played against Bangladesh. Nonetheless, he redeemed himself by scoring a not out 119 off 176 in the second innings increasing India’s lead at Chennai.
“Definitely the punch” –Shubman Gill discussed his preferred shot, comparing the punch to stepping out against spin
Shubman Gill is a player who uses both the front foot and back foot with dexterity. The signs have been there since that historic game when his presence against world-class bowlers like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins was enough to convince everyone that he could cope with pressure.
During his latest century against Bangladesh, he managed to hit some stunning shots off Mehidy Hasan Miraz by stepping out facing him several times. On his signature strokes, when asked which one he prefers, Gill said:
“Definitely the punch – there’s a different kind of confidence you get when you stand your ground and punch the bowler down the ground,” Gill said (via The Indian Express).
With eyes fixed on the all-important Border Gavaskar series, Shubman Gill is keen on keeping his pace in the last part of home seasons at 3rd position starting from this month.
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