Shubman Gill didn’t play the first Test due to a finger injury but looked good in his brief innings of 31 and 28 during the pink ball Test at Adelaide which India lost by 10 wickets.
Shubman Gill acknowledged that his performance in the Adelaide Test was impacted by the wickets falling at the other end, but he was optimistic that the Indian batting lineup will put up a better first innings performance in what is now essentially a three-match series. Despite missing the first Test because of a finger injury, Shubman played well in the pink ball Test at Adelaide, where India lost by 10 wickets, scoring 31 and 28 in his short innings. “We want to achieve a high total first up as a batting group. Following the team’s first-inning scores of 150 and 180 in Perth and Adelaide, Gill stated during the pre-match news conference that “that’s been the key discussion and every batter has his own game plan.”
Even if he did become agitated as he watched wickets fall at the other end, Shubman thinks he wouldn’t stop playing his natural game.
“As a batter, I still have freedom. Whether you can play the game you want to play regardless of the scorecard or what’s going on at the other end is one of the difficulties.
“I faltered in the first innings because of what happened at the other end and I take that upon myself.” Gill was only exposed to one ball throughout a four-over stretch, which interfered with his focus.
I may have faced just one ball in four overs during that time, but when I did face a delivery, I missed a lot fuller ball. These are the difficulties you encounter. Shubhman clarified, “You might end up facing 18 balls in a row or you might not face a ball for four overs.”
Shubman acknowledged that the batting squad is aware of the fact that India has recently had at least six scores of 150 or less. According to him, his team’s series currently consists of three games.
“Adelaide Test, the series is still 1-1 despite our poor performance. If we win this one, we’ll have an edge heading into Melbourne and Sydney, and we’ll treat it as a three-match Test series.” For the first time since the 2021 Test, when he was the leading scorer in the run-chase with a brilliant 91 that launched him into prominence, Shubman felt sentimental as he entered the Gabba.
“Walking into the stadium after 2021 with the team, definitely it felt very nostalgic.” In response to a question on skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence from the optional training session, Shubman said, “This was an optional session and he has already practised a lot.”
Out-of-form players have recently come under fire from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar for failing to show up for optional net sessions even though there are enough intervals between games.
Gill believed that India would do far better in a conventional day Test and that the Gabba strip was a suitable one to bat on.
It is somewhat more difficult to judge the seam from a bowler’s hand in a pink ball game, particularly if you are playing at night. We don’t play as often since we are a little more accustomed to using the red ball throughout the day than the dynamics of a pink ball test.” According to him, Australian tracks are best for batting.
“Conditions are a bit challenging but there is a period between 30-35th over till the second new ball is taken (81st over), it becomes easier for batting,” he stated.
Shubman added that because the Australian assault has been playing the same individuals for a number of years, there is a certain familiarity to it.
“You’ve faced them enough times, and aside from a few niggle-related tweaks here and there over the past five to six years, their Test team hasn’t altered much. Each team is aware of the aspects of the other that we will focus on. We were aware of the difficulties that would arise, so in these kinds of series, mental strategy is far more important than competence,” he believes.
Gill wasn’t prepared to back down verbally, even though Australian captain Pat Cummins had discussed employing the short ball strategy that helped them win in Adelaide on the eve of the third Test.
“I believe they used short balls to get out one tail-ender and another (lower middle order) batter. In fact, I have no idea what accomplishment he’s referring about,” Shubman remarked.
As Rohit, Kohli, Other Batters Struggle, Shubman Gill Reveals “Key Discussion” In Team
