Ahead of the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Indian captain Rohit Sharma showed his full support for Shubman Gill by announcing that he will face Ishan Kishan, who scored 200 in the previous match. Rohit explained that he wanted to give Gill a “fair run” with his ODIs after his best result in the 2022 India opener.
Having averaged close to 60 in his short ODI career, Gill earned his handsome 70 in his first ODI in Guwahati, earning the trust of Indian think tanks.
“It feels good to have the captain behind us,” Gill said at the post-match press conference. Rahul Bhai (Dravid) also asked me to play my natural game.
However, Prelude felt he should have turned the start into a big score. “He was really disappointed when he dropped out at 70, because he’s done everything he can to achieve big goals for the team.”
Gill also sewed 143 associations for the opening wicket with Rohit. This provided a platform for India to finish with a staggering total of 373. The young hitter shared the kind of tactical conversation he tried with Rohit along the way. It’s nice to be able to hit with him. When we were in the middle, the conversation was generally which bowler to target. what are they going to do? Where are they trying to sabotage our execution? And that’s how we plan. “
Gill also noted that hitters are looking for ways to reduce the number of point balls they end up playing. He added that hitters are flexible and sometimes need to play depending on the game situation.
“We are always looking for areas and aspects where we can improve and we are working on it. There is also… Unless there is a game situation where too many high-scoring shots need to be played (e.g. two wickets down), as a batsman you should be confident that I am playing a point ball. You should be able to hide the ball that runs later. But yeah, that’s an area we’re always trying to improve. “
At 8 for 206 in 38 overs, Sri Lanka’s innings looked to be over quickly. However, Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka played an excellent hand and only scored his 108 unbeaten on 88 balls. Gill noted that the conditions were pretty tough for bowlers and fielders when Tau came on the scene.
“It’s difficult, it’s not easy to control a wet ball. Sometimes spinners go out of play, but that wasn’t the case in this match. Yuzi bowled well and so did Axar bhai. It is also a challenge for the field as the ball can slip off the wicket. And the ball is wet, so it’s difficult to catch. It feels like you’re putting butter on your hands. So it’s not easy to bowl in Tau.”