Team India youngster Shubman Gill had a fairytale debut Down Under and impressed one and all with his maturity and determination to attain success. The youngster from Moga recently recalled what went into his impressive debut in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Gill’s opportunity came at the expense of Prithvi Shaw, who failed to impress in the first Test in Adelaide. Shubman Gill revealed that he knew prior to the first Test that he will be making his debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
I had to take a sleeping pill before debut – Shubman Gill
The 21-year-old said that he was so nervous on the eve of his Test debut that he had to resort to taking sleeping pills. With India bowling on the first day, Shubman did not feel that he was playing his first Test and it was only when he came out to bat during the closing stages of the final day that the reality finally began to sink in.
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Before our first match [in Adelaide], I knew I’ll get to debut in the MCG match. I couldn’t sleep and had to take a sleeping pill. The next morning, on the first day of the Test, we were fielding first. It didn’t hit me then that I was making my debut since the entire team was on the field,” Gill revealed to Forbes India.
In the evening, I had to go in to bat. When I faced my first 10-12 balls, the enormity of the occasion sunk in–I am playing at the international level, facing the best bowling attack. That’s when I told myself that now I need to be really focussed,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill made a calm and composed start to his Test career. He looked at ease against the Australian pace trio and gave a feeling that he belongs to this place. The young batting prodigy was quick to stamp his authority courtesy of his trademark strokes and eventually ended up scoring 45 in the first innings.
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He backed it up with a couple of half-centuries during the course of the next five innings, the best of the lot being his match-winning 91 during India’s historic run-chase at the Gabba.