"As an opener it is important to lay the foundation, assess the conditions and pass on the message to the entire team" - Shubman Gill
Team India opener Shubman Gill has opened up about batting with Ishan Kishan and negotiating the tricky wickets that have been on offer in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand.
The youngster is yet to find his rhythm in the T20Is, having scored only 76 runs in five matches since making his debut in the first game against Sri Lanka in January 2023. His T20I average of 15.20 is well behind his numbers in ODI cricket, where he has thrived with Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in the home season so far.
Gill has been dismissed twice by spinners in the ongoing series against New Zealand, where the wickets have been overly spin-friendly. He was undone by a Mitchell Santner delivery that turned a mile in the series opener in Ranchi, while Michael Bracewell got the better of him in the next contest.
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Speaking about how it is to open with Kishan, with whom he shares a cordial relationship, Gill said in a pre-match interview ahead of the third T20I in Ahmedabad:
"Me and Ishan are good mates indeed and it feels amazing. We spend a lot of time off the field as well and we talk about a lot of things, and it is just easy to bat with him in the middle. We have not been able to score much in this series and it is important for us to be able to assess the conditions as early as possible."
Adding that the wickets have been tough to bat on, Gill stated:
"The wickets have not been easy in the first two T20Is, but as an opener it is important to lay the foundation, assess the conditions and pass on the message to the entire team."
The opening combination is under pressure due to the lack of runs at the top, especially with someone like Prithvi Shaw waiting on the sidelines.
"I think it is important to take some advantage in the powerplay" - Shubman Gill
Team India head into the final T20I against New Zealand with a lot at stake. The Men in Blue came back with a nervy win in the second contest after suffering a defeat in Ranchi. Their last home T20I bilateral series defeat came against South Africa in 2019.
The hosts have won both the ODI series against the Kiwis and Sri Lanka by a 3-0 margin, with Shubman Gill playing a pivotal role. However, with the lack of senior players in the T20I setup and the Punjab-born batter's struggles in the shortest format, India have not looked like a well-oiled machine when compared to the ODI side.
Opening up about the challenges of transitioning into T20I cricket from the 50-over format, Gill said:
"I think it is important to take some advantage in the powerplay and once you are set, then keep pushing the pedal and keep looking for a boundary always, and once ypu are batting on 50 or 60, then try to go big. Once you get a couple of boundaries off the first set of deliveries in the over, then just look for that big over, and get as many big overs as possible. That's what the talk has been about in the team."
Speaking on his purple patch in ODI cricket of late, which has also yielded a double century, Gill continued:
"It has been a good run for me, the month of January was kind to me, and the takeaway is to play my game and expressing myself and to go big. Even in the ODIs against Sri Lanka, in the first couple of matches, I was trying to go big and but I could not. So, that is the main takeaway for me. Whenever I am set, I look to keep continuing and look for the big ones."
#TeamIndia have won the toss and elect to bat first in the series decider match.
A look at our Playing XI for the game.
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Team India have gone with the same opening combination for the third T20I against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Who will win the T20I series between India and New Zealand? Let us know what you think.
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