Gill was dismissed in the 25th over of the innings when Neil Wagner bowled a deceptive in-swinger that later seamed away from him.
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As Shubman Gill came out to bat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India on Sunday, there were doubts about how the youngster would perform in English conditions. Traditionally, England has not been a place where Indians have experienced much joy. Even the likes of Rohit Sharma have an especially difficult time playing their natural game in these conditions, thus all eyes were on Gill as he walked out alongside Rohit as an opener for India. He might not have been able to score many runs, but his technique was certainly an encouraging sight. Gill was shuffling down the track to deal with the swing during his knock and seemed to be getting the hang of it. He did get beaten by swing at the end but Gill has made a positive start.
However, facing swing bowling might not have put the 21-year-old at much of a disadvantage. This is because Gill plays Ranji cricket for Punjab and the windy, swinging condition is somewhat similar to that of England.
“I play at North (India). Whenever we used to play Ranji Trophy matches there, it’s a bit like this – it’s cold out there, and the ball seams. So, it’s something that I used to do and grew up developing with my game,” he said.
Gill also revealed that he had received advice on how to deal with the swing from some of India’s top batters. These include the likes of Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli. The 21-year-old said that he has been speaking to the duo quite a bit. It is those two that suggested that he try and negotiate the swing from outside the crease.
“I have spoken to them quite a lot, especially Rohit bhai and a few bowlers as well who have played in England. Some of the key points that Virat bhai and Rohit bhai told me were to stand outside the crease and try to negotiate the swing as much as I can,” he added.
Gill played a decent knock of 28 runs off 64 deliveries in the match. Despite not reaching his half-century, he laid a strong foundation for the side thanks to his 62-run partnership with Rohit.
“I got off to a good start but I would have really like had I gotten a fifty or more than that. But I think we got off to a good start. The conditions were against us. At the end of the day it’s all about scoring runs. It was important for us to have the intent to score runs wherever we got the opportunity,” he said.
Gill was dismissed in the 25th over of the innings when New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner bowled a deceptive in-swinger that later seamed away from him. The delivery caught the 21-year-old off guard. Gill tried to play the ball but nicked it instead for a comfortable BJ Watling catch behind the stumps.
“I couldn’t have done anything more than that. He bowled an inswinger and I was playing for the inswinger but the ball nipped away from me. I played late to my body, there is nothing more I could have done,” he said.
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