India batter Shubman Gill anticipates a mouth-watering clash when they take on Bangladesh in a two-Test series. India and Bangladesh will play their first Test in Chennai on September 19 and their second Test in Kanpur beginning on September 27.
The BCCI announced the 16-member India squad for the first Test in Chennai which sees the return of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul to the Test squad, while left-arm pacer Yash Dayal received a maiden Test call-up.
Bangladesh is coming off a 2-0 Test series whitewash of Pakistan in their own backyard and is high on confidence with both batters and their bowlers firing on all cylinders.
Speaking about the Bangladesh side, Shubman Gill said that India will not be taking the opposition lightly.
"I don't think you can underestimate any international side. The kind of cricket Bangladesh has played in the last couple of months, especially in Pakistan, has been impressive. Their fast bowlers and the way their middle-order batters have absorbed pressure shouldn't be disregarded. So, I believe it will be an interesting and intriguing contest," said Gill to JioCinema, as per IANS.
Shubman Gill has played 25 Tests and scored 1492 runs at an average of 35.52. He has replaced Cheteshwar Pujara at the no.3 spot in India XI after beginning his career as an opener.
Asked about the challenges he's had in batting at number three in Tests, Gill remarked, "Quite often, when you're playing in a different position, everyone knows your potential, but you still have to prove yourself. In the initial matches when I played as number three, I couldn't perform well - against West Indies and South Africa. I was getting good starts, scoring 20s and 30s, but I wasn't able to convert them. When I returned, I knew I had to turn these performances around. Moving forward, my goal is to convert my fifties into big hundreds.”
Shubman Gill had an excellent outing against England as he amassed 452 runs in 5 Tests with one century at an average of 56.50, batting at no.3.
"That was a big confidence boost for me, especially after losing the first Test match. Quite a few players were unavailable, so there was pressure on us to win the series. I had never played five Test matches before, so it was a good experience and exciting to feel that intensity. Even after getting breaks following two Test matches, we never dropped that intensity," stated Gill.
(IANS inputs)
