Dissatisfied Shubman Gill looks to address T20I batting
New India vice-captain Shubman Gill is looking to address his T20I batting performances heading into the next cycle
Gill’s numbers in the T20Is – 505 runs from 19 games at an average of 29.7 and a strike rate of 139.5 – are yet to meet his own lofty standards.
The 24-year-old, fresh after being named the team's vice-captain, is hoping to transfer his form in ODIs – he has 2271 runs from 44 matches at an average of 61.37 and a strike-rate of 103.46 – to the shortest format of the game.
“At a personal level, I’m not satisfied with my performances in T20Is till the T20 World Cup [2024],” Gill said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka.
His contrasting starts to the two white-ball formats, have reflected in how selectors have looked at the player in the respective formats. While the batter was a certainty to feature in the XI during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, he only made the reserves of India's squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Highlights of Shubman Gill's 92. The batter showed good form in Mumbai with a knock that included 11 fours and two sixes.
But Gill is ready to address these concerns in the upcoming cycle. “It hasn’t been up to my expectations," he said. "Going forward, in the upcoming cycle, we’ve about 30-40 T20Is, and I’d hope we improve on our performance as a team and I can improve as a player.”
Besides improving on his batting, Gill said he was looking forward to the challenge of vice-captaincy, and expressed his belief they wouldn't hinder his on-field performance.
“[My role] doesn’t change much as a batter," he said. "When I’m a batter I still need to perform and win matches for my country. But when you are on the field, you need to make more decisions compared to when you’re playing as a player.”
Gill was also confident of working well with India’s new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. “We think alike. I’ve played under Surya bhai’s captaincy in the South Africa tour," he said.
"Our communication and understanding is alike. You can see this in the upcoming games.”
With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from T20Is, Gill is set to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, signalling a new era.
“We really enjoy batting with each other." Gill said, when asked of his partnership with Jaiswal. "Our shots complement each other. A right-left combination helps. We’ve enjoyed our time together in T20I games. Our understanding and communication is pretty good.”
India's tour of Sri Lanka begins with a T20I on 27 July, 2024.