 "IND vs AUS 2022-23, 4th Test: 'Needed to keep it a bit free-flowing' - Shubman Gill on his recent good run")
synopsis
IND vs AUS 2022-23: India has also pressured the Australian bowlers during the final Ahmedabad Test, while much of the credit goes to Shubman Gill for his laudable century. Meanwhile, he admitted to keeping it simple in his current run.
Young Indian opener Shubman Gill doesn't have a problem if he gets dismissed while playing his natural attacking game, but what bothered him was getting out while playing a defensive shot which doesn't come naturally to him. Enjoying a golden run, Gill has now hit five hundred across formats in just under two months, and if the run is extended to three months, the count is six. It comprises two Test hundreds, three One-Day International (ODI) tons, a double and a Twenty20 International (T20I) hundred.
So, what did he tell himself during the lean patch? "There was a phase in the middle when I was scoring 40s and 50s [52 and 44 against New Zealand in 2021] and getting out, and when I played the one-off fifth Test in England, I scored some 20 odd (17), and I got out early in that innings," Gill recalled that not-so-great phase in his 15-Test career.
"I felt that as soon as I was getting set, I was getting over-defensive and over-cautious. Now that I have got set, I will have to bat as long as possible. I was under too much pressure, which is not my game. Once I get set, I get into a rhythm, and that's my game. So, I had to tell myself that if I got dismissed while playing my natural game, then it was fine. But, the problem was I was getting out playing the type of game that doesn't come naturally to me," Gill explained.
The root cause was trying to play a defensive game even when he felt set. "If I get out trying to play a shot after getting set, I can accept that dismissal because that's shot, and my execution wasn't proper. But, if I get out playing a game which isn't my style, then it becomes unacceptable to me," he was very precise in his thought process.
The key was to not put pressure on himself. "So, I had to tell myself that I shouldn't put too much pressure on myself when a situation like this arises next time, that I must convert now that I am set. I needed to keep it free-flowing. It was more about mental make-up, and I focussed on that primarily," Gill assessed.
"The pitch wasn't easy to bat"
Gill assessed that the Motera track was challenging for run-scoring. "I think it is difficult to score runs fluently on wickets like these, but it is also important that on these wickets, you need to be positive and keep looking for those singles," he phrased.
The six he hit off Nathan Lyon late on the second evening was a standout one. "He [Rohit] just came and was a little surprised. But I said that was my shot. If the off-spinner is bowling on a good wicket that we are playing now and the field is up, that was my shot, and I was confident I would hit him for a boundary [six]," Gill stated.
"The secret of regal on-drives with a straight bat"
Having played a lot of cricket on cement wickets back home in Mohali, Gill has developed an affinity for horizontal bat shots. He hit some on-drives where he could play with a straight bat rather than an angled one and explained his process.
"I think one of those shots that automatically develops when you play bouncer. I am used to playing bouncers with a plastic ball on cement surfaces and the balls which were a little fuller. It developed as I practised it over and over [again], and it was more intuitive than anything else," added Gill.
"Not playing cross-batted shots"
Gill said on a track like this, where there are lull periods, one needs to train his mind not to play indiscreet shots. "You have to remind yourself constantly that things are going well because there was a phase where we didn't hit a boundary for the longest time, and at that time, you had to tell yourself that it is okay if you are not getting runs now, but if you stick to your processes, then there will be an over where you will get 2-3 boundaries. So, the process is not to lose patience, you can get out, but also you might be able to get boundaries," he stated.
The only question he sidestepped was whether missing out on the first two Tests was frustrating and how he coped up. "To be honest, not much. I was practising, training and getting opportunities is not up to me but to team management. I was doing everything that was under my control," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
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