Shubman Gill admitted that he used to be “petrified of bouncers”, but did a lot of preparation to overcome this fear and now the shots he practiced have become a part of him.
India batsman Shubman Gill’s first-ever Test series was like a dream start, and his heroics in the second innings of the fourth Test against Australia earned India a memorable win.
Shubman Gill: Petrified Of Bouncers At Young Age But Prepared In Advance For Chest Height Balls
Undoubtedly, the challenge against Australia was going to be difficult, but the youngster performed in style scoring 2 fifties. Shubman Gill admitted that he used to be “petrified of bouncers” early but did a lot of preparation to recover and now the shots he practiced have become a part of him.
“When I was young, I used to be petrified of bouncers. I used to be prepared for the chest-height balls way in advance. I used to practice drives a lot so I got mature in playing the pull shot with a straight bat. I also developed one more shot where I move back a little to play the cut.
“I used to feel scared of short deliveries so I always wanted to get away from the line of the ball to play the cut shot. These two-three shots were my favourite as a kid and now they have become a part of me,” Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) official website quoted Gill as saying.
Citing an example of when he was playing an age group match in Mohali, Shubman Gill said that “you are only scared until you get a blow” and after that everything feels “pretty normal”.
“When you get hit by a ball, your fear disappears. You are only scared until you get a blow but once you get hit, you feel like it was pretty normal! And then you lose the fear entirely. I was 9 years old when I was asked to play in a higher age group match. There was a bowler in the academy who was really fast. I was batting against him and was scared that I would get a bouncer to start with. So, I had pre-decided that I would just duck it,” he said.
Be it his front-foot game against Nathan Lyon on debut in Melbourne or the way he took apart pacer Mitchell Starc at the Gabba, the fearless approach of Shubman Gill has impressed everyone.
Shubman Gill: One Is Only Scared Until He Gets A Blow
Shubman Gill (21y 133d) became the youngest Indian opening batsman to score 50+ runs in fourth innings with that fifty at Gabba, Brisbane. The youngster failed to get to his maiden Test century as he was dismissed for 91 by Nathan Lyon. He faced 146 deliveries in his knock of 91 runs. Shubman Gill scored 259 runs in 3 Tests averaging 51.8.
“When you get hit by a ball, your fear disappears. You are only scared until you get a blow but once you get hit, you feel like it was pretty normal! And then you lose the fear entirely. I was 9 years old when I was asked to play in a higher age group match. There was a bowler in the academy who was really fast. I was batting against him and was scared that I would get a bouncer to start with. So, I had pre-decided that I would just duck it,” he said.
India defeated Australia by three wickets in the fourth Test at The Gabba to win the four-match series 2-1. Shubman Gill had played a knock of 91 runs in India’s second innings, helping the team chase down the target of 328.
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