“You Told Me To Play My Natural Game, It Really Helped” – Shubman Gill Reveals Hardik Pandya’s Advice

Team India cricketer Shubman Gill has had a dream run at the international level in white-ball cricket. He was in great form in the recently concluded ODI and T20I series against New Zealand. The right-handed batter was the leading run-scorer in both formats. Shubman Gill slammed his third century of the year in the final T20I against New Zealand. Post-match, he interacted with skipper Hardik Pandya and revealed the all-rounder’s advice to him.

Shubman Gill smashed 126 runs off 63 deliveries, with twelve boundaries and seven sixes at a strike rate of 200. On the back of his century, Team India put on 234 runs, and eventually won the match by a whopping margin of 168 runs. Speaking to Hardik Pandya in a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Shubman Gill credited his father for his great run. He said,

“A lot of the credit goes to my father. Ninety percent credit goes to him — the way he made me practice did help me a lot. In the matches leading up to this game in Ahmedabad, I didn’t do well – did not match up to my expectations. So I was eager to perform.”

Revealing Hardik Pandya’s advice, Shubman Gill said, “When you told me to play my natural game it really helped because I did not have to do anything extra. These small things help a long way.”

Of record-breaking knock & leading from the front to the importance of hard work 🔝 🙌

𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒: Captain @hardikpandya7 & @ShubmanGill chat after #TeamIndia's record win in Ahmedabad 👌 👌 – By @ameyatilak

Full interview 🎥 🔽 #INDvNZhttps://t.co/9KMRvwMgsX pic.twitter.com/Povf3rLzXq

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 2, 2023

I was in that zone, but you told me to hold back and take on other bowlers: Shubman Gill to Hardik Pandya

Team India cricketer Shubman Gill further revealed how Hardik Pandya’s advice on the ground, helped him to get to the three-figure mark. The Indian skipper advised the youngster to keep the aggression in check and take calculated risks at the crease. Shubman Gill said,

“To be able to play how I play, I must be mentally clear. Whenever I hit a six, you told me to hold your shape the next ball. I was in that zone, but you told me to hold back ( even when I was playing their best bowler Santner) and take on the other bowlers.”