'When I look back after those 10 Tests...': Shubman Gill sets personal target ahead of India's busy red ball schedule

Shubman Gill sets personal ambition ahead of India's busy red ball schedule

Team India, who lifted the T20 World Cup not very long ago, will look to replicate the superior show as the focus shifts from the shorter format to red-ball cricket. The team will engage in a busy schedule starting from the two-match series against Bangladesh, following which they take on New Zealand at home. After the series against New Zealand, a big test awaits for the unit, which is the Border-Gavaskar series, scheduled to be played in the months of November and December. Every match starting from the Bangladesh series will be crucial, given every outcome will determine India's chances for the qualification of World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be played in June next year.

So players too are fully aware of the challenges that lies ahead and preparation for the same have already begun. One of the faces, who is a certain in India's setup is Shubman Gill, and the 24-year-old has already began the work behind the scene. Gill will be seen leading Team A in the upcoming Duleep Trophy and the opener batter will take the domestic matches as good learning ground to fine tune himself for the busy red ball schedule.

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“I worked on my defence a little bit more against spinners. You should be able to defend a lot more when you are playing on a turning track against spinners, then you can play the scoring shots,” Gill was quoted as saying by PTI on Wednesday. “With more T20s being played…I won’t say on flat tracks but on batting-friendly tracks, I think it takes away a little bit of your defensive game. So, that was my focus in the England series,” he added.

Gill was among the architects behind India's emphatic show against England earlier this year. India had won the five-match series 4-1, with Gill finishing as the second highest run-scorer. He had then accumulated 452 runs from nine innings, which featured two centuries and the same number of half-centuries.

However, Gill affirmed that he is yet to match the expectations in the longer format and is determined to change it in the months to come. “In Test cricket, my performance has not matched my expectations so far. But we are going to play 10 Test matches this season, and when I look back after those 10 Tests, hopefully, my expectations will be matched,” he said.