Shubman Gill has raised his hand for a spot in the opening mix. A shin injury kept Shuman Gill out of the national set-up last year but the Punjab youngster sets sights on a successful return with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shubman Gill, who was picked by Gujarat Titans as a draft pick, opened up about the growing race for a spot in India’s top-order. He believes to get into the 2022 T20I World Cup squad if he helps Gujarat Titans reach the final in the team’s first-ever IPL season.
Shubman Gill Is Focused On Doing His Job Well For Gujarat Titans In IPL 2022
Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have been handed the tricky task of finding the perfect team combination and assigning specific roles to players as India gear up for 2022 T20I World Cup, which is less than eight months away. The home T20I assignments against West Indies and Sri Lanka were India’s first two assignments in the lead-up to the T20 showpiece event in Australia.
India tried out skipper Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson at the top, and the team management will be scratching its head over the ideal opening pair. Punjab’s Shubman Gill is another contender for the opening slot.
“Not really (doesn’t change anything),” Shubman Gill said about the pressure to perform at a time when competition in the Indian team is getting stiffer.
“It is because I feel as a player what’s most important for me is to do my job well for the team (Gujarat Titans) and I think if I am able to do well, then it is also doing well for myself. And if we (GT) go on to play the play-offs and reach the final, I might get a chance to play for India in WT20,” Gill further said.
Shubman Gill Is Flexible In All Situations
Shubman Gill is expected to play a key role in Gujarat’s batting display this year. The youngster remains one of the most promising openers in the league with 1417 runs in 58 IPL games. His strike rate may be relatively low but the specialist batter on the Gujarat Titans panel believes he’s got the ability to shift gears according to the team’s needs.
“I feel you have to close yourself from all the critics and do what the team wants from you. As a player, I should be able to play in any given situation. If my team wants me to bat at 160, 180 or even 200 strike rate, I should be able to do that.
“But if my team wants me to soak in the pressure in a tough situation and wants me to go at 110 strike-rate, I should be able to do that as well, being flexible in all situations,” Gill added. “As long as I am able to do that I am really happy and not focus on what people have to say.”
Gujarat Titans have been bracketed in Group B, which features Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings. The Hardik Pandya-led side will kick-off their campaign against Lucknow SuperGiants on March 28 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.