Shubman Gill has all the classical shots in his repertoire, but time off due to a calf injury has allowed him to work on his technique at the National Cricket Academy and will be back when he competes for Gujarat Titans in the upcoming IPL. Ready to show off your improvisation skills.
One of the main batsmen of the new IPL franchise, the 21-year-old in an exclusive interview to PTI spoke on various topics, including his strike-rate in T20 cricket, preferred batting position, World T20 and how he became a firm batsman. Is. A believer in “bounce on second chances”.
Interview excerpts:
Q: What kind of adjustments do you need to make while playing for Gujarat after four seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders?
A: It is obviously special if you are retained by any team but I haven’t thought much about the adjustments, now that I am with Gujarat Titans. It will be a big challenge for me as it is a new franchise and Ashu bhai (head coach Ashish Nehra) and Gary Kirsten (mentor) are great people. I just had a brief chat with them and they seem to be great people. I am sure we will do well as a team
Q: You have batted as an opener since the third season, but are you ready to be flexible if the new team requires you?
A: I started my IPL career with KKR batting at No. 6 and 7. The first whole year (2018), I batted at No. 6 and maybe once, if I remember, had I opened the innings in 14 matches. I think I batted at No 4 once that season.
In the second year, I batted at No 7 and it was actually the third year that I got a chance to bat. If you ask me what I like, I would love to bat at the top of the order but if the team wants me to play a different role, I play for that.
Q: Did the long lay-off from injury allow you to work on any aspect of your batting?
A: I worked on some of the nuances of batting at NCA. I got a chance to work on my batting a bit and have learned some new shots. I worked a lot on my technique with the coaches at NCA.
Q: So Shubman, as we know, likes the copybook technique even when he plays the attacking shot. Will this IPL bring any change or is there any particular reason to stick to the basic grammar of the batting manual?
A: There is no particular reason. It’s just that I back my strength up to hit the bowler over the head instead of trying to abuse him.
But yes, as a player, I should be able to play any shot in the book and on certain wickets bowlers find it difficult to hit the ground. As a player, I am trying to learn more shots and how to play across the field. You can see me playing some cheeky shots in this IPL.
Question: Will there be extra pressure to perform as Team India’s T20 top-order slots look more or less settled? How does this change your outlook for Titans?
A: Not really (doesn’t change anything). This is because I think the most important thing for me as a player is to do my job well for the team (Gujarat Titans) and I feel that if I am able to perform well, then it is for me. doing well too.
And if we (GT) play the play-offs and reach the final, I may get a chance to play for India in WT20.
Q: Your career strike rate is 124-plus and something like what critics have pointed out. Do you feel any additional burden to replace it?
A: I think you have to shut yourself off from all the critics and do what the team wants from you. As a player, I should be able to play in any situation. If my team wants me to bat at 160, 180 or 200 strike rate, then I should be able to do that.
But if my team wants me to be under pressure in a tough situation and want me to go at 110 strike-rate, then I need to be able to do that while being flexible in all situations.
I’m really happy as long as I’m able to do that and don’t focus on what people have to say.
Q: What is your process of assimilating disappointments? How does your mind work and how do you find solutions?
A: What really motivates me when I am not able to perform comes the next opportunity. I’m always looking forward to that next opportunity – for myself and for my team.
I will give you an example. When I was injured, I was really looking forward to see what we have, and the IPL was coming.
During 2021, my first leg of IPL in India was really bad and even as a team, we didn’t do well. But knowing we have one more chance to come back, win six out of seven matches, that challenge inspired me (KKR reached the title match).
When I was going through that bad phase and then when the second phase came, I felt this was my chance to correct myself. This is my chance to seize the opportunity and make the most of it. I will keep thinking about it during my time at NCA.
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos, IPL Auction 2022 And cricket score Here