Shubman Gill has scored 1492 runs in 25 Tests played so far. (Picture Credit: ANI)
Gill, who made his Test debut for India against Australia in Melbourne on December 26, 2020, has scored 1492 runs in 25 matches played so far.
Star Indian batter Shubman Gill has made an honest admission about his Test career and said that his performances in the red-ball format of the game so far haven’t matched his expectations. The 24-year-old right-handed batter, who scored a century in his last Test inning for India against England in Dharamsala, said that he is looking forward to coming up with good performances in the coming months where India will play as many as 10 Test matches.
“In Test cricket, my performance has not matched my expectations so far. But we are going to play 10 Test matches this season, and when I look back after those 10 Tests, hopefully, my expectations will be matched,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
Gill, who will lead India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024 match against India B at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday (September 5) said that he is banking on an improved defence against spinners to make a mark in the upcoming season, which will start with a two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh later this month.
“I worked on my defence a little bit more against spinners. You should be able to defend a lot more when you are playing on a turning track against spinners, then you can play the scoring shots,” Gill said.
“With more T20s being played… I won’t say on flat tracks, but on batting-friendly tracks, I think it takes away a little bit of your defensive game. So, that was my focus in the England series,” he added.
The star right-handed batter, who was appointed as India’s vice captain for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka last month, also emphasised on his growing maturity as a person and cricketer, which he directly linked to the captaincy stints of India and in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.
“Every match or tournament that you play, you look to learn more about yourself irrespective of whether you are captain or not the captain. More so because of the captain, you will get to know about other players too. It’s important for the captain to have a connection with the players.”
“You should know their strengths and weaknesses. Yeah, there are some changes in me, especially when you are captain or vice captain and having those conversations,” he elaborated.