Shubman Gill recently hit a superfluous unbeaten century (106*) for India C in the ongoing Prof. DB Deodhar Trophy 2018/19. Gill had also been hugely successful for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018/19 with more than 400 runs to his name.
"It (recent good run in domestic cricket) could have been better though. I had a good Vijay Hazare season where I got three half-centuries and one ton. Twice I got out in 80s, I regret not converting them into big scores. Two fifties and two hundreds would have been great to get," Gill told India Today in an exclusive chat.
"But there is a long season ahead after the ongoing Deodhar matches which will be followed by Ranji Trophy, then India 'A' tour and domestic T20s. I am preparing well for it and keeping myself fit. I have to keep performing to knock on the doors of the Indian dressing room," he added.
Gill was a vital cog in India U19’s World Cup win earlier this year and said that he was heavily influenced by U19 coach Rahul Dravid.
He said, "I am deeply influenced by Rahul (Dravid) Sir. He has been with us for the last two years starting with the Under-19 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and then the India 'A' tours. He understands my batting really well. He keeps on telling me that over a period of time, certain changes come in a batsman's style which are not evident to the player himself and can only be identified by the one who is watching from outside."
Gill also talked about his IPL experience with Kolkata Knight Riders and said, "Playing IPL was great, we had some really experienced players in KKR including DK bhaiya (Dinesh Karthik). It was a learning curve as I interacted a lot with all the big names too. A youngster like me gains a lot of confidence by speaking with experienced players. I personally learn a lot when they share their experience with me. Also, I try to understand how a big player thinks and gain a lot of confidence from it."
For Shubman Gill, the India 'A' tour of New Zealand next month will be a huge opportunity to impress selectors and maybe put in his name in the hat for the Indian team for the 2019 World Cup in England.
He said, "New Zealand will be very important for me as even their 'A' team's bowling attack is very good. Playing there and scoring runs will help me learn a lot more about performing against international teams in their own conditions."
Shubman was also all praises for Indian captain Virat Kohli, saying, "His (Virat Kolhi) consistency and conversion rate is mind boggling. I don't think that there has been any player who has played like this over the last few years. The way he is performing I am sure, he'll break all records."
(Inputs: India today)
