‘I have batted’: Confident Shubman Gill says middle-order switch needs 'little tweaking'

Shubman Gill scored 52 off 93 balls in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur on Thursday.

India opener Shubman Gill, who played his first red-ball match since getting injured before the England series earlier this year, shared his thoughts on shifting his role from being an opener to a middle-order batter.

Shubman Gill plays a shot during the first Test between India and New Zealand at Green Park Stadium, in Kanpur, (PTI)

The 22-year-old, who scored 52 off 93 balls in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur on Thursday, said he has batted down the order previously, stating it's more about the mental approach rather than a switch in the technique.

Gill, who has mostly opened the innings for the teams he has represented in the past, can be seen performing the middle-order duties when KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma return to the side for the upcoming South Africa tour, where India are scheduled to play three Tests.

The debate of a position switch has gained pace following the inconsistent show by senior players Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who once again failed to convert their start in the ongoing Test against New Zealand, losing their wickets on 35 and 26 respectively.

"I have opened for my state team and India A. I have batted in the middle-order as well. There is a little bit of tweaking when you play as an opener or you play as a middle-order batter. It is more on the mental side of the things rather than the technique," the youngster said while addressing a press conference after the close of play on the opening day of the 1st Test, as India piled 258/4 on the board.

Meanwhile, Gill also lauded New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson, who scalped three off the four wickets that India lost in the day. The right-handed batter himself was cleaned up by the tall Kiwi seamer, who also picked the important wickets of Mayank Agarwal and skipper Rahane.

"I think Jamieson bowled really well today, especially the first spell he bowled with the new ball. He bowled in pretty good areas to me and Mayank Agarwal. When I came to bat after lunch, that over was top-notch, the whole spell he bowled, he looked top-notch," said Gill.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who made his Test debut, rose to the occasion and scored 75 off 136 balls before the close of play. The 26-year-old found great support from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who also completed his half-century and will now lead India's charge along with Iyer on Day 2.