India skipper Shubman Gill revealed that this was the shortest turnaround time they had in recent memory heading into the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“Yes, we just had couple of days of practice before the Test match and it was a quick turnaround. I was looking to focus on my defence and switching formats is more mental than it is about technique. So, just wanted to get into my zone,” he added. When asked about the likely playing composition for the game, Gill kept the suspense open.
“You will get to know our playing XI tomorrow. Given the conditions we would be tempted to have a third seaming option but there is some time for the Test so tomorrow when we come and see how much moisture there is in the wicket, we’ll take a call,” Gill stated.
The Punjab batter stated India were looking at playing some good old-fashioned Test cricket. He said, “We are looking to play some hard grinding cricket. So over the past few years Test matches in India are not going to five days. We just want to play some hard grinding cricket. We would not be looking for any easy way out options and we have the skill set to deal with any wicket or any situation.”
Gill also was of the opinion that it was crucial to make a statement against the West Indies come Thursday. “We are playing in India after almost a year so it is important. Any series that we play anywhere in the world is as important as any series. We would be looking to do well in this series as any other match or series.”
To a question on wanting better wickets, Gill was non-committal but said he wanted to play on good tracks. “I can’t really speak for what the conversations were before but we would be looking to play on wickets that offer something both to batsmen and the bowlers. Any challenge for any team that comes to India, they know that its going to be spin and reverse swing and those are the two things that if teams play spin well, they are going to get good success.
Shuman Gill on Captaincy challenge
The challenge of captaincy is something he dwelt on too.”For me its the same everywhere, wherever you are playing you are looking to win the match and contribute to make your team win. It’s a very important series and this World Test Championship cycle is very important and we give everything we have got,” he added.
Indian captain also explained his process of moving from the shortest to the longest format as well. “I just try to get into the zone and watching the ball really well. Which areas I’m going to defend and which areas I’m going to attack and how much patience one has to stick to that process. It’s for me to decide which areas I’m going to defend and which I’m going to attack. Just identify those areas and stick to that process,” he added.