Shubman Gill: My performance in T20Is in matches heading into the World Cup was not as per expectations
Team India batter Shubman Gill has conceded that his performance in T20Is heading into the T20 World Cup was below expectations. He asserted that he hopes to do much better in the upcoming T20Is, beginning with the series in Sri Lanka.
India will take on Sri Lanka in three T20I matches in Pallekele from Saturday, July 27, to Tuesday, July 30. Gill has been named vice-captain of the team for the series. Intriguingly, he was not picked for the T20 World Cup played in the West Indies and the United States and was named as one of the traveling reserves.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Sri Lanka T20Is on Thursday, July 25, the talented batter admitted that he did not grab his chances in the T20Is that were played ahead of the World Cup.
"My performance in T20Is in matches heading into the World Cup was not as per expectations. Hopefully, in this upcoming cycle in which we are playing, I think around 30-40 T20Is, I would look to perform better as a batter and the team would also look to improve," Gill said.
The 24-year-old has played 19 T20I matches, scoring 505 runs at an average of 29.70 and a strike rate of 139.50. In his last four innings before the Zimbabwe series, he had registered scores of 9, 0, 8, and 23 and was subsequently dropped from the T20 World Cup squad.
"We really enjoy batting with each other" - Gill on his opening partnership with Jaiswal
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from T20Is, Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the batting in Sri Lanka. The two opened the innings in Zimbabwe as well.
Asked about his alliance with Jaiswal, Gill asserted:
"We really enjoy batting with each other, especially [because of] the kind of shots that we both play. We kind of complement each other. Definitely, being a left-right combination [helps]. We have had some good partnerships in T20Is. I think, there have been two 150-plus partnerships as well. Our understanding and communication is really good and hence we enjoy batting together."
The Sri Lanka series will be Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as India's head coach, while a new support staff has also come in. Gill, however, maintained that not much has changed about communication and thinking processes.
"Communication has been the same as before. We definitely are the world champions. There is a new coach and support staff. Hopefully, we will have an even more successful campaign with them," he said.
After the T20Is, India will play three ODIs at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo from August 2 to August 7.