Shubman Gill played a composed knock of 87 runs to guide India to a four-wicket victory over England in the ODI series opener at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Despite nearing a century, the young batter emphasized that his focus was on field placements rather than reaching the three-figure mark.
“No, I wasn’t thinking about my century. I was focused on the field placements and played my shots accordingly,” Shubman Gill told Disney+ Hotstar. “I wanted to dominate the bowler, and I would have played the same shot even if I was in my 60s.”
Having primarily played as an opener, Shubman Gill had to adjust to batting at No. 3 in this game. However, he saw no major challenge in the role change.
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“I play at No. 3 in Tests, so it wasn’t a big adjustment. This position always comes with challenges because you have to adapt to the game situation. If early wickets fall, you need to play sensibly. If the team gets a good start, you need to carry the momentum. My approach was simple—play according to the situation,” he explained.
Shubman Gill also spoke about his crucial 94-run stand with Shreyas Iyer, who scored a quickfire 59.
Shubman Gill said he did not get carried away while approaching his century after he was dimissed after scoring 87 runs off 96 balls!https://t.co/HFS5Y8R9Om
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“We lost two early wickets, but the plan was to play according to the field and not hold back. After a few overs, the line and lengths became predictable, which helped us score faster,” he said.
On the increasing use of sweeps and reverse sweeps by younger Indian batters, Gill noted, “It’s an individual choice, not a team strategy. Every batsman has a plan to target specific areas. Many players are practicing sweeps and reverse sweeps in the nets to have more options while batting.”
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The 24-year-old concluded by providing an update on Virat Kohli, who missed the first ODI due to knee swelling.
“It’s nothing serious. He was fine during practice yesterday, but he woke up with some swelling in his knee this morning. He’ll definitely be back for the second ODI,” Shubman Gill reassured.
