‘Pressure and expectations never come to my head,’ Shubman Gill riding high on confidence after tour of West Indies

Shubman remained unbeaten on 204 for India A as West Indies A managed to survive the final to earn a draw.

Shubman Gill has been riding high on confidence in the past few months. He has been in stupendous form for India ‘A’ and is accumulating runs at a rapid pace. There was disappointment along the way as he was ignored when selectors announced the squad for senior team’s tour of West Indies. But Shubman bounced back from the disappointment with a double century for India A against West Indies A. He along became the youngest cricketer to score a first-class double century, going past Gautam Gambhir along the way.

Shubman Gill at PCA Stadium in Mohali. (Hindustan Times)

Shubman remained unbeaten on 204 as West Indies managed to survive the final to earn a draw. He made headlines due to that effort as former cricketers and media outlets lavished praise on the young Indian batter. Shubman also admitted that the unbeaten double century was a confidence booster for him.

‘That innings was a huge confidence booster and it was pending because in the one-dayers I was getting out in 70s and 80s. I played four matches and got three fifties (62, 77, 69). In the second four-day game, I got out off the first ball in the first innings. Then, I told myself that if I get a chance to bat again I have to bring up a big knock. It was the perfect opportunity because we were 14 for 3. I started getting runs and it was important to carry on with that momentum and not get carried away and lose my wicket,’ Shubman told Times of India.

Shubman was also delighted when he got to know that he had broken former cricketer Gambhir’s long-standing record in first class cricket.

‘When I was batting I did not know. I was just trying to make sure that I stayed there for the team and scored big runs and set a good target for the opposition. When I got to know I had broken Gautam Gambhir’s record it felt good.’

Now that he is a stalwart in the India A setup and has been scoring bucketload of runs in the domestic circuit. There has been a clamour for him to be included in the senior team by the fans. So does he feel the pressure of having so much support behind him?

‘Whenever I go out to play, things like pressure and expectations never come to my head. The thing that comes to my head are ‘how am I going to score runs on this wicket and how I am going to tackle these bowlers,’ Shubman concluded.