Amid competition for slots ahead of India’s T20 World Cup squad announcement, the Gujarat Titans skipper talks up his chances.
He is taking rapid strides in becoming India’s all-format batting star. But such is the competition for slots in lead up to the upcoming T20 World Cup that Shubman Gill is not a certainty. In this interview, he talks about his World Cup aspirations, finding the right T20 template, move to drop down to No 3 in Test cricket and more. Excerpts:
Gujarat Titans’ captain Shubman Gill plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match (AFP)
How did you prep for the role of leading Gujarat Titans in the IPL?
I got to know I would captain when I was in South Africa. Rohit bhai (Sharma) would tease me a lot. He would tell me ‘abhi tuje bowlers ke baare main pata chalega, jab woh yorkers nahi fekte aur chakke padte hai (you will know what it feels like when bowlers don’t get yorkers right and go for sixes). I did not have a long conversation about captainship. But I have learned a lot from being in the Indian team, seeing Rohit and Virat bhai go about things.
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As you switch formats – Test cricket against England to IPL, how do you stay true to your game?
It’s very difficult from a mental point of view. T20 has changed a lot in the last 3-4 years, especially after the Impact player coming in. Even in T20Is, the intensity is very different from what it was 8 years ago. The challenge is not so much about skill or technical. To be able to be a successful T20 batter, your mindset has to be completely different from how you would approach a Test match. How quickly can you make that adjustment, is the challenge.
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As we see power-hitting increasingly gaining prominence in T20, have you made any tweaks to your game?
The best way to stay ahead of the pack is to keep scoring those big runs, because you can’t score those hundreds unless you have the big shots.
Jos Buttler and Marcus Stoinis recently scored winning hundreds. What’s your understanding of which batting template to employ to find success in T20, batting at the top order?
There can’t be a template to the game. But I would say, every player has a template. If you see Buttler, the way he goes about things, there is a certain template. Even when Stoinis was batting, he scored his first 50 in 26 balls. As a batter, I know on my average day, I would be able to bat with a strike rate of 140-150. On a good day, it would be 180-200. If we are batting on a good wicket and 50 would come in 29-30 balls, from then I am trying to convert it into a 50-52 ball hundred.
In this IPL, has the amount of risk you take been influenced by the batting form of others and GT’s squad formation?
Not really with the Impact player coming in. When I am batting out there, I would like to bat the way I play. I wouldn’t want to think that I am the captain. I make a conscious effort that I don’t want to go in a space where I am thinking too much. I just want to play the way Shubman the batter would play.
How hopeful are you that you will be picked to play your first T20 World Cup?
I played the 50 overs World Cup last year and it was a dream for me to represent my country in a World Cup. If I am able to make it to this year’s T20 World Cup, it would be nothing short of a dream coming true. Last year’s World Cup experience would help me as we try to win the World Cup.
How much would it hurt, if you are not picked?
After scoring almost 900 runs (in IPL) last season, I would obviously be disappointed as a player. I would still be cheering for the players and wish them the best.
Talking of that Test series, you made a big call to drop down to No 3 in the batting order. Did self-doubts creep in when it took time to find success?
A lot of people were saying you shouldn’t have gone to No 3 from opening. But I think I know my game best. It took time for me to find success there but it was the best learning.
