India captain Shubman Gill on Wednesday shared that he was eyeing a double century in the second ODI against Afghanistan as he set a pre-series target of batting at least 40 overs and finish matches as well.
“Yes, I was, but I knew that I’ll have to keep hitting my shots, keep 430, 440, 450 in mind,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “Honestly, in a pretty good space. The ball is going exactly where I want it to go and I’m feeling very confident from the first ball. Even in this match, in the series actually, I had a target for myself that I want to be there, finish matches and bat till 40-45 overs and build that habit, whenever I get a start, I want to convert those into big ones.”
On his dismissal for 154 off 110 balls, Gill, who was also adjudged player of the match, said, “Yes, I actually think I middled it (reverse sweep) too well that it went to deep covers.”
“A little sore, got a lot of cramps when I went out, but it was really hot and batted for almost 40-45 overs, so the body was getting a lot of cramps in different areas of the body, but it’s much better now,” Gill said.
The India captain did not think it was a good toss to lose because “the wicket was pretty much similar.” “If you would have gotten a target of 310-320, it would have been a good chase for us and it would have been a good kind of pressure on our batting group.” On the debutants in his team, Gill said, “I think they’re all in very good space. The way our fast bowlers are bowling in this heat, on these wickets, it’s not easy to keep hitting the deck, keep hitting those areas consistently with that pace. So very happy with that.”
Meanwhile, India pacer Arshdeep Singh felt good to see new players stepping up and taking wickets.
“I’m enjoying what happens on and off the field and ensuring not having regrets of not putting 100%,” said Singh who finished with figures of 3/45.
“No idea I was on a hat-trick, so there was no chat. Now I regret it. Gurnoor and Prince are confident. They’re ready to go and hungry for success and take wickets for fun,” he concluded.
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