‘It made me a bit disappointed’- Shubman Gill sheds light on his struggles in Test format

Shubman Gill has set the One-day stage format ever since he arrived on the international scene and his IPL credentials also speak about his batting prowess in the shortest format. He is termed as a generational talent and many even consider him the predecessor of Virat Kohli in the Indian team but his career graph in the test format was on a decline in recent times until he hit a century and a half-century in two consecutive tests against England that revived his test career.

Shubman Gill opened for India in tests too in the initial part of his test career but last year after Pujara’s exclusion from the test side, Gill took up the responsibility of batting at No.3 in Tests. Since then, his form in the test format deteriorated and he wasn’t able to notch up even a half-century in tests since July 2023 until the recent England series at home.

In the ongoing test series, he brought up his 3rd test century in the 2nd test in a winning cause. He then backed it up with a mesmerizing 91-run knock in the subsequent 3rs test which gave a new life-line to Shubman Gill’s test career.  

Shubhman Gill opens up on his Test form

Gill recently in a pre-match press conference looked back at the difficult times in test cricket where he admitted that he hasn’t been able to live-up to the expectations of himself and his fans which has disappointed him. 

Speaking about his form in Tests he said, “It is a bit tough (living up to his own expectations). When people from outside talk about all those things, it did not make much difference to me. But the expectations that I kept on myself made me a bit disappointed.”

He further added, “You will definitely have some expectations on you as to how you want to play for the team, the country. But I don't think that has changed my mindset. I still have the same set of expectations for myself. It is all about how you are able to forget them and move on quickly and be ready for the next challenge. That is the difference between a big player and an average player.”

Gill also accepted that his transition form an opener to No.3 in tests was not as smooth as he thought it would be but doing it at the international stage was a bit different. Talking about his experience of batting at No.3, Gill said, “I have batted at No. 3 and No. 4 for India A and in some Ranji Trophy matches, and as such, it was not something that I have never done in my life.” 

“There are not many technical changes that I had to make to my game. But it is different when you open the innings because you don't get that much time to think as you are going right in after the toss. You are the one who is setting the tone,” he concluded.