Shubman Gill made his Test debut for India in the Melbourne Test on the Australia tour of 2020-21. He had previously played in a single ODI on the tour and Prithvi Shaw was preferred over Gill for the first Test in Adelaide.
However, India’s 8-wicket loss after being bowled out for 36 runs in the second innings, India went for more technically superior Gill over Shaw, who struggled against quality pace bowling. He made a brilliant 45 and 35* as India won the MCG Test by 8 wickets. He then made his maiden Test fifty and 31 in the drawn Sydney Test.
However, he saved his best for the most difficult venue in the series in Brisbane. He made 7 and 91, as India chased down a record 328 runs for the victory and also won the 4-Test series 2-1, for the second consecutive time in Australia.
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Known for his amazing cuts, pulls, and drives, in an interview with Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) official website, Gill recalled being petrified of facing bouncers.
"When I was young, I used to be petrified of bouncers. I used to be prepared for the chest-height balls way in advance. I used to practice drives a lot so I got mature in playing the pull shot with a straight bat. I also developed one more shot where I move back a little to play the cut.
I used to feel scared of short deliveries so I always wanted to get away from the line of the ball to play the cut shot. These two-three shots were my favorite as a kid and now they have become a part of me,” he said.
Gill said that "you are only scared until you get a blow" and after that everything feels "pretty normal". He remembered an incident when how playing in an age group match, his fears of bouncers were quelled.
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"When you get hit by a ball, your fear disappears. You are only scared until you get a blow but once you get hit, you feel like it was pretty normal! And then you lose the fear entirely. I was 9 years old when I was asked to play in a higher age group match. There was a bowler in the academy who was really fast. I was batting against him and was scared that I would get a bouncer to start with. So, I had pre-decided that I would just duck it," he said.
"He tried to bowl a bouncer but instead ended pitching it up. I realized this but still squatted and saw the ball hitting the edge of my bat to go the boundary. I realized he was not that fast after all. Soon I hit 2-3 more boundaries. This helped me raise my confidence level. This incident just eliminated all kinds of fear from my heart for leather balls and bouncers," Gill added.
Gill, who was one of the breakout stars in the series, will be seen in action against England in the first two Tests at Chennai.
(ANI inputs)
