India youngster Shubman Gill shares his journey so far where he said that sharing the dressing room with senior players, including captain Virat Kohli, has helped him learn many things. Gill earned his maiden call-up after having a great show in the domestic circuit.
“I get to learn a lot. When you share a dressing room with the big players, you look at how they prepare ahead of a match. Before going in to bat how they do they focus, what do they do (and) how they pace their innings in match situations,” Gill said.
Shubman Gill came in the limelight after his stunning performance in the U-19 World Cup. After that, his consistency earned him the IPL contract and he plays for KKR there. Even he is a regular member of India A side.
“Mentally, the big change is that I have to understand is the difference between the different levels of cricket. Obviously, at the under-19 level and India ‘A’ level, you will still get a lot of loose balls. But at the international level, it gets tighter and that is when one needs greater focus. I also tell myself that I won’t be able to score as easily as I did at the under-19 level. That acceptance is important. After that, pacing the innings well once set is also an important learning. The game doesn’t need to change but the mind does,” said the star batsman.
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Although he has been named in the squad, didn’t get the chance to play yet. However, he is hoping to get the chance against Bangladesh.
“I know that I can’t expect from myself that I will get a hundred every time I go out. I will get runs and will get to settle down. Obviously things take time. But it was a very good experience for me. We had won the series. And the wickets were tough to bat on. So I learnt to adapt in those conditions and absorb pressure. Just to be with this Test team, the way India has been playing in the World Test Championships and across all formats, to be a part of this side is a big thing for me,” he added.
However, the youngster shared the influence of Rahul Dravid on his career.
“Dravid sir’s influence has been immense. I met him for the first time in 2016 and I have been in regular touch with him since then. He has seen us right from the start and he knows our game inside out. His big advice has always been to try and play like the best version of yourself, don’t try to become like someone else,” Shubman Gill concluded.
