Shubman Gill, who is widely deemed as the next poster boy of Indian cricket, proved his mettle during the recently-concluded Test series in Australia.
Gill made his much-awaited debut in the Boxing Day Test at MCG and played an instrumental role in India’s 2-1 series win over the hosts.
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The stylish right-hander finished the series with 259 runs at an impressive average of 51.80, including two half-centuries.
After returning home, the 21-year-old is feeling relaxed as everything went well for him during the challenging tour.
“I am relaxed now. Making my debut for India is a big relief. I was a bit nervous, but with every innings I grew in confidence,” Gill told TOI in an exclusive chat.
Shubman top-scored with 91 as India chased down 328 in the fourth innings to defeat Australia by 3 wickets at the Gabba earlier this week.
Even though Gill’s knock ensured India’s victory in Brisbane, his father Lakhwinder Gill was disappointed that his son missed out on a century.
Reacting to his father’s comment, Gill said ‘a century could have been cheery on the cake’.
“A century could have been the cherry on the cake. I was well set and I should have scored the century, but at the same time, I am happy that I have contributed to the team’s victory. This series was a big learning curve for me and I have become a better cricketer,” the Punjab lad said.
“The next goal is to score consistently at this level. England series will be crucial for me because now I will not be an unknown entity. Facing the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer will be challenging, but I am up for it.”
Shubman Gill also acknowledged former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s contribution in his success Down Under.
During the COVID-19 hiatus last year, Gill and a few other Punjab cricketers had trained under Yuvraj’s guidance.
“The camp with Yuvi paaji before the IPL was very useful. During that camp, he prepared me to face chin music. He used to throw hundreds of short-pitch balls to me from different angles, and I think it helped me a lot,” he said.
(With TOI inputs)
