Talented India opener Shubman Gill admitted that there was a bit of extra pressure on him when he played against Pakistan for the first in the group stage match of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Shubman, who has been the leading run-getter this year in ODI among the top 10 teams, failed to get going versus Pakistan in the group stage and was dismissed for just 10. He was too cautious at the start of innings in front of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, while was beaten by Haris Rauf’s pace and got bowled.
It was the first time Shubman played against Pakistan and he asserted that it was a different experience for him.
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“Playing Pakistan was different. It was my first time against Pakistan in senior cricket (Asia Cup league match). The pressure is slightly different (from other matches).
“But the pressure will be there no matter what game you play — whether it is against Afghanistan, Netherlands or Pakistan. We have the same level of nerves no matter what," said Gill in a press conference on the eve of the Super 4 clash versus Pakistan.
The 23-year-old has not been at his best in the second half of 2023 and struggled to score big in the World Test Championship followed by West Indies tour where he managed to score just two half-centuries.
Gill talked about his rough patch ahead of the mega-Pakistan clash and said that it’s important to trust the process and move forward.
“Sometimes, there are no technical factors and it is about bowlers being good. You can’t change something because you don’t perform in a match. You have to trust the process and game and take it forward," said Gill.
In the group stage clash, India’s top-order struggled miserably and were four down for just 66 as Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan came to the team’s rescue. The duo shared a crucial 138-run stand for the fifth wicket and helped India post a fighting total. However, the rain played a spoilsport as no ball was bowled in the second innings.
Gill said that it’s important for the openers to lay a foundation at the top but was happy that the middle-order bailed India out in the group stage clash.
“You have to lay a solid foundation and that doesn’t change against any opponent. If you do that, you can build big scores. The last match, our middle order bailed us out and we still managed to get good runs," Gill added.
