Rookie India opener ShubmaRn Gill thanked former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for helping him hone his batting skills and prepare for the Australian tour during a camp before the Indian Premier League last year.
Gill, who was one of the biggest finds of the series for India, played a wide variety of shots in the 6 innings he played in Australia as he took on the Aussie pacers whenever he came out to bat.
His technique against the short ball was particularly impressive and it was Yuvraj who got him ready for it with throw downs in the net.
“The camp with Yuvi paaji before the IPL was very useful. During that camp, he prepared me to face the chin music. He used to throw hundreds of short-pitch balls to me from different angles, and I think it helped me a lot,” Gill was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Gill looked at complete ease against the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon whenever he came out to bat despite this being his debut Test series. But the 21-year-old admitted that he was nervous while playing his first Test in Melbourne.
“I am relaxed now. Making my debut for India is a big relief. I was a bit nervous.”
“The next goal is to score consistently at this level. England series will be crucial for me because now I will not be an unknown entity. Facing the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer will be challenging but I am up for it,” Gill said.
Gill and most of the Indian squad members returned home after nearly 6 months as they were in the UAE for the IPL 2020 since September before going to Australia in the second half of November. Now that he is back home, Gill just wants to spend time with his family and eat his favourite dishes.
“I was craving for homemade food. For the next couple of days, I just want to be home and eat my favourite dishes,” Gill said.
