KKR wanted me to continue the way I played in the World Cup and carry on the momentum, says Shubman Gill
One of the heroes of the 2018 under-19 World Cup was Indian batsman Shubman Gill, who scored as many as he scored 372 runs in five innings at an average of 124 and a strike-rate of 112.38 with the help of three fifties and a century and deservedly, was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.
During the World Cup, Shubman was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auction for 1.8 crores and was expected to play a key role in the Knights' campaign.
As expected, Shubman played almost all the matches and fared well with the bat as he scored 203 runs in 11 innings at an average of more than 33 and a strike-rate of 146. After tasting success in his maiden IPL season, the right-hander will have his task cut-out as he has been named in the India A side for the tour of England.
Sportskeeda caught up with Shubman Gill in an exclusive chat and discussed various issues. Here are the excerpts.
Q: How was the feeling when you got to know that you are going to make your IPL debut?
During the IPL auction, I was in New Zealand and I got a lot of messages about my selection in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. Rahul Dravid sir asked us to focus just on the World Cup. And when I got to know that I will be featuring in the playing XI, I was so happy. I was very excited to play in front of such huge crowds.
Q: You are basically a top-order batsman and in the IPL, you batted at number six and at times, at seven. Were you ready for the challenge? Is there any particular position where you prefer to bat in T20s?
No, it was up to the team management. I was ready to bat wherever the team wanted me to bat. They told me that I am going bat down the order well in advance and it helped me a lot in getting the right mindset to face the challenges.
Q: How did you go about your batting in the IPL? Were you happy with your performance?
Before my first game, the team management told me to keep things simple, enjoy my shots, continue the way I played in the World Cup and carry on the momentum. I just did that and I am so happy with my performance in the IPL. However, I need to work on a few things. What I feel is that I need to hit some big shots more frequently and if I keep working on it, things will take care of themselves.
Q: How was it to work under a captain, who is as experienced as Dinesh Karthik?
DK bhai is a very good captain and is very supportive. Right from day one, he encouraged me and that helped me a lot when I went out to bat in the middle.
Q: How was it score to your maiden IPL fifty against a side like Chennai Super Kings?
It was one of those normal games for me. There was nothing special. I just went out to bat with a clear mind and didn't think about what's going to happen. I just wanted to treat the ball on its merit. I was very happy for scoring my maiden IPL fifty and taking my team home.
Q: What is the biggest takeaway for you from the 2018 IPL?
The experience I got over the past two months, especially when I was batting outside my comfort zone, has been very valuable and is the biggest takeaway for me from the IPL.
Q: You have been named in the India A side for the tour of England. How are the preparations going? Any expectations?
Expectations as such, I just want to do well for the team. I am looking forward to enjoying myself whenever I go out to bat and score runs for my team. On my preparations, hmmm, thankfully things are going well for me. I don't want to complicate things too much.
Q: Any words on your under-19 teammates did well in the IPL?
All of them are really good players. This batch is very talented and all of them (Prithvi Shaw, Shivam Mavi, Abhishek Sharma and even Mujeeb ur Rahman, who played for Afghanistan) have played really well in the IPL. It is always to see the young players perform well. And yeah, I wish them good luck for their future.