'I just wanted to enjoy my batting again': Shubman Gill reflects on record-breaking double ton at Edgbaston

New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) After a marathon knock that etched his name in the history books, Shubman Gill spoke about the technical tweaks and mental reset that fueled his magnificent 269 against England at Edgbaston.

The 25-year-old India skipper’s career-best Test score not only powered his side to a towering 587 — their highest total in England in 18 years — but also helped reduce the hosts to 77 for 3 by stumps on Day 2.

Reflecting on his innings, Gill revealed how rediscovering the joy of batting had been crucial in turning around his red-ball fortunes. “Sometimes, when you aren’t scoring runs fluently, you stop enjoying your batting. You focus too much on the need to score runs. I felt I had lost that in my batting. I was so focused that I wasn’t enjoying my batting as much,” he said after day 2 play.

The newly-anointed No. 4 batter, who had endured a quiet patch in Test cricket before this tour, shared how returning to the basics helped him regain rhythm. “I mainly worked on my initial movement and my setup. Before this, I felt my batting was going well. I was scoring 30-35-40 runs consistently in Test matches. But at some point, I was missing that peak concentration time.

“A lot of people say that when you focus too much, you sometimes miss your peak time. So, in this series, I tried to go back to my basics. I tried to bat like I used to in my childhood. I didn’t think about having reached 35-40 runs or about playing long innings. I just wanted to enjoy my batting.”

Gill’s effort made him the second youngest Indian captain after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi to score a Test double century, the first Asian skipper to hit a double hundred in SENA countries, and the highest-scoring Indian Test captain ever — surpassing Virat Kohli’s 254*. It was also India’s first double century in away Tests since Kohli’s 2016 feat.

Yet, despite the staggering numbers, Gill described the innings as anything but easy. “When I went in to bat before lunch on the first day, at tea I was on around 35-40 runs off about 100 balls. I came out and spoke to GG (Gautam Gambhir) Bhai. I told him, ‘I’m not getting runs freely, even though I have a lot of shots in my armoury.’

“I also felt the ball was a bit soft. In the last match, I was scoring more fluently, but here it wasn’t coming as easily. Still, my mindset was that if the wicket is good and I am set, no matter how long I bat, I shouldn’t leave the match halfway.”

That determination was shaped by lessons from Headingley, where Gill scored 147. “In the last match, I learnt that no matter how long you’ve been batting, under these conditions, there can be a collapse in the lower order at any time. So I tried to stay out there as long as I could. I wanted the bowler to get me out with a good ball and I shouldn’t make mistakes. That was my approach.”

With England’s top order rocked by Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, India seized control of the Test. Gill credited his bowlers for sticking to plans. “I think once the ball gets a little old, it becomes difficult to take wickets. So, the more we consistently bowl in one area and frustrate their batsmen, the better it is for us.

“We will try to make them score in only one area. Because when a batsman is able to score all around the ground, it becomes difficult to control them… I think our bowlers executed their plans really well. (The pitch) doesn’t have a lot for bowlers, but enough that if a batsman tries too hard, there are chances of getting out.

“When the batsman tries to do something different, the chances of getting him out increase. So, we will try to frustrate them while they bat, and wherever they try to score runs, we won’t give them that opportunity. I think that will be the most important thing for our bowling.”

--IANS

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