India opener Shubman Gill revealed that the toughest bowling spell he has faced thus far in his career came from Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins during the 2020-21 India tour down under. Gill had made his India debut in Melbourne that year and played a huge role in the 4th Test in Gabba, to help India win the series 2-1.
Gill, for quite some time, has been considered one for the future. His performances in the limited opportunities he has got at the international level have shown hints of how good a batter he can be with time.
He has played 11 Tests and 6 ODIs for India, scoring 579 and 254 runs respectively with the best scores of 91 and 98*. He is yet to score a hundred in any format of international cricket.
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In an interview with News24 Sports, Gill talked about the toughest spell he faced in cricket while recalling his match-winning 91 runs in the Brisbane Test against Australia last year.
“When I played in Australia for the first time, Pat Cummins’s intensity with red ball was very challenging as a batter. You have to maintain your intensity and focus, for each ball and each spell is very intense. It is fun as a batter, but you also have to be very focused. I don’t consider any team as weak at the international level. They come with a lot of preparations. And I don’t play the team or the bowler. I play the ball [on its merit],” Gill said.
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Talking about chasing the target of 328 runs in the fourth Test against Australia with the series on the line, he said that it was a tailor-made situation for him to play his natural game.
“We were chasing some 300-350 odd runs. I thought, there can’t be a better opportunity to play my natural game as the team wanted runs at a brisk rate and I like to play fast bowlers. You get into the zone as and when you start playing shots and build your innings,” he added.
Shubman Gill recently showcased his mettle in ODI cricket as well with a Player of the Series performance against the West Indies.
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“We didn’t get any practice due to rains. We were practicing indoors for two days and saw the wicket only on the match day. But as soon as I saw it, I felt the wicket was good and I should capitalize on the opportunity on such a wicket. I started well and that gave me a lot of confidence,” Gill said.
Gill will now travel to Zimbabwe for the three-match ODI series.
(News24 Sports inputs)
