Shubman Gill, Team A captain in the Duleep Trophy, has had his share of ups and downs in his Test career so far. After playing 25 Tests, he averages a tad over 35. However, in first-class cricket, Gill averages over 50.
So, what does Gill make about his rather middling Test record? “Yes, I’ve not been up to my own expectations ([n Test cricket],” he said on the eve of the Duleep Trophy opener in Bengaluru. “But we have ten Tests coming up together. Hopefully, after these ten Tests end, It will be up to my expectations or more,” he added.
In the recent past, Gill has been batting at the No.3 slot after starting out as an opener. To his credit, Gill did make an impression at that slot by notching up 452 runs at an average of 56.5 in the five-match Test series versus England. India also have a busy season coming up as they are set to take on Bangladesh and New Zealand at home before embarking on a trip to Down Under. Presently, Gill is the leading candidate to take over the No.3 slot from Chesteshwar Pujara, who made that position his own for a number of years.
So, before the England series, did Gill tweak the nuts and bolts of his red-ball game? “I worked on my defence a little bit more, especially against the spinners. Playing on turning tracks, you should be able to defend a lot more. Then you play scoring shots. With more T20 and playing on batting friendly tracks in the white ball, I feel it takes away a little from your defensive game over a period of time. So that was my focus during the England series,” he notes.
Gill has led the senior Indian side in limited-overs cricket, alongside Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He is also the captain of Team A in the Duleep Trophy. How does he look at the extra responsibility of leading a side? “More so if you’re captain, you tend to learn about other players as well. Because it’s important for the captain to have a connect with the players. If you want someone to give their 100 percent, you should have a connect with the players. You should know their weaknesses and strengths.
“In terms of that there has been some change, there has been a lot more conversations especially if you’re the captain or vice-captain you have one-on-one conversations with the players. There’s nothing easy or difficult. You’d have played a lot of age-group cricket with a lot of these players so there’s a lot of fun. And if you’re enjoying the captaincy role as well and to lead by performance as well. So if these things are in order, you’ll be enjoying everything.”
Gill shared his views on the wicket for the Duleep Trophy game against Team B at the Chinnaswamy. He also observed that Prasidh Krishna, the tall pace bowler, won’t be available for the opening encounter. “There is some grass on the wicket. Hopefully, on Day 3 and 4, the spinners will get some help. But initially, it looks like there will be some help for the fast bowlers. The playing eleven has not been decided yet. He (Prasidh) is not available for the first match.”