IND vs WI: 'I Am Angry With Myself': Shubman Gill On Failure To Convert Good Starts Into Hundreds

Two innings, two promising starts, and two jarring finishes. Rarely does a batter receive criticism after two consecutive innings of strong play. 

Shubman Gill, a young Indian hitter, has seen exactly that over the previous several days. Gill wasn’t a lock to open the innings alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan before the current three-match ODI series against West Indies began. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan were respectable choices. However, the team management decided to stick with Gill, who scored a brilliant 64 in game one of the series before scoring an equally outstanding 43 to help India secure a 2-0 lead. 

Shubman Gill Disappointed After Missing On Opportunities To Score Big

Aside from their significance, his two innings are linked by the way he threw them away. In the first ODI, he was out after a careless try at a single, and in the second, he went for a scoop shot only to make it easy for the bowler to catch him. 

The 22-year-old is enraged because he is aware of how he might have turned both of them—or just one of them—into three figures. 

“After getting those starts, unfortunately, I couldn’t convert them into a hundred and I am angry with myself for that,” Gill said. 

However, Gill claims that the two innings have increased his self-confidence. 

“They were a huge confidence booster. West Indies are a good team and we posted two good totals, one while batting first and the other while chasing. Hopefully, I will go big in the third match. The kind of starts I have been getting, I will aim to convert those into big innings,” he said. 

Shubman Gill Feeling Confident About His Batting

Gill continued by saying that he is loving the experience and that the surfaces suited his batting approach. 

“The surfaces have suited me quite well here. There’s not been much lateral movement for the fast bowlers and the new ball has been coming on nicely. It’s been harder against the old ball which stops a little but overall batting here has been a really good experience,” he said. 

“I am feeling very good, very confident about my batting. We couldn’t practice much after the Test series in England as both our practice sessions here got rained out, but once I batted in the ODIs, I felt really confident,” he added. 

Opening The Batting With Shikhar Dhawan Has Been Great: Shubman Gill

Gill claimed that having Dhawan start the inning had boosted his self-assurance and allowed him to pick up tips from the seasoned player.

“(Asking to open) gave me a lot of confidence. To be given to play a game for India, especially at the international level feels good. It was important for me to pay that trust back and I was happy to contribute to the team’s cause.

Opening the batting alongside Shikhar has been great. He has so much experience, has played all over the world and I get to learn a lot,” Gill said. 

Also Read: Marizanne Kapp Ruled Out Of Commonwealth Games