India's star batter Shubman Gill has candidly admitted that his Test performances have fallen short of his own high standards. Despite being hailed as one of India's rising stars across all formats, Gill's Test career, which began in late 2020, has seen mixed results. In 25 matches, he has amassed 1492 runs at an average of 35.52, including 4 centuries and 6 half-centuries.
Shubman Gill's Honest Assessment of Test Performances
While Gill initially opened the batting, he has since transitioned to the crucial No.3 position, following in the footsteps of Indian batting legends Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara. Although he faced challenges during the home series against England earlier this year, Gill managed to turn a corner, scoring two centuries and finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the series with 452 runs from 5 matches.
Gill's Hopes for Improvement
Ahead of the Duleep Trophy 2024 first round, Shubman Gill expressed his desire to enhance his Test performances through an upcoming series of 10 matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia. Gill believes that this extensive run of matches will provide him with valuable opportunities to refine his skills and elevate his game to new heights.
"Yes, I've not been up to my own expectations ([n Test cricket]," he said, as quoted by PTI.
"But we have ten Tests coming up together. Hopefully, after these ten Tests end, I'd be up to my expectations or more," Gill added on the eve of the Duleep Trophy 2024 opener.
Shubman Gill revealed that he had dedicated significant effort to improving his defense against spin bowlers. He emphasized that this was a primary area of focus for him during the England series, where he aimed to strengthen his ability to counter spin attacks effectively.
"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 concluded.
Here's India A squad for Duleep Trophy 2024:
Shubman Gill (C), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
29-yr-old T20 World Cup-winner likely to replace Ishan Kishan for Duleep Trophy 2024