Ahead of the first Test Match being played between India and West Indies in Dominica, captain Rohit Sharma had announced that Shubman Gill would be batting in at Number 3 position. Shubman Gill had a meeting with the team management where he was asked about his preferences regarding the batting position for the upcoming series.
The vacancy for the crucial spot arose when Cheteshwar Pujara, who had owned the spot for more than a decade, was dropped from the side after a string of low scores in the previous cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC 2021-23) that culminated in India’s loss against Australia in the final.
“They (team management) asked me where I wanted to bat, and I said I wanted No. 3″ – Shubman Gill
Gill was having an interaction with the local broadcasters in Dominica and was confident about batting at number 3, as he had done so before in domestic cricket. He went on to say that his experience in opening the batting will aid him in negotiating the opening period of the innings when the new ball is swinging. Gill did not hide his ambitions and said he desired to play long-term in the role and liked to consolidate the position.
“It is always good to play with the new ball. I have the experience with the new ball, and when you’re batting at No. 3, it is not very different although it is a little bit of a difference,” said Shubman Gill.
Shubman Gill so far is having a dream run in 2023 scoring his maiden ODI double hundred, backed off by an excellent performance in the IPL where he notched up 890 runs that included 3 hundreds and took home the Orange cap.
Enjoyed the one-month break – Shubman Gill
Pertaining to the cancellation of the series against Afghanistan, Team India enjoyed a rare one-month break post the WTC final. Gill was happy about how the preparations were going and said that team was gelling well after their arrival in the Caribbean.
“I really enjoyed the one-month break, spent time with my family. This is my first time in Barbados it was, also my first time in Dominica. We came here much before, had good training,” said Shubman Gill.