Young Test opener Shubman Gill said Virat Kohli urges him to play fearlessly and approach batting with a clear mindset whenever he discusses the game with his captain. Gill, who opens for India alongside Rohit Sharma, also shed light on his discussions with his opening partner in Tests.
Shubman Gill is going to be one of the crucial batsmen for India as they head to England for a long tour during which they will play the World Test Championship final and 5 Tests against England. Gill made his Test debut in Australia earlier this year and made an instant impact. His counter-attacking 91 in the 4th and final Test against Australia helped set up India’s heroic victory.
“Virat bhai tells me to play fearlessly whenever we speak about the game. He speaks about mindset a lot… that you have to be in good frame of mind when you go out to bat and shares his experiences,” Gill said, as quoted by PTI.
“And when I am batting with Rohit bhai, we usually discuss where the bowlers will bowl, what the situation is like, depending on that, when to take risk or not,” he added.
Gill scored 259 runs, including 2 fifties, in his maiden outing in Australia but his form suffered a bit in the home series against England. The young opener made just 119 runs in 7 innings.
“We did well in Australia. We have been playing well overseas and I feel we can’t be better prepared for this final. As an opener, I feel you should be able to play session by session not just in England, overseas in general,” Gill said.
“It is very important to play session by session. In England whenever there is cloud around, the ball swings more and when the sun is out, it gets easier to bat. It is important to assess those conditions as an opener,” he added.
Gill is currently undergoing quarantine in Mumbai along with the rest of his teammates. The India cricket team will complete their mandatory 14-day quarantine period before departing to the UK in the first week of June.
