Ahmedabad, March 12 () Team India opener Shubman Gill has said that he could not be squandering an opportunity to score big on Day 3 of the Ahmedabad Test against Australia as he was not sure when he would get to bat on a good wicket again.
Gill was the star performer for India on the third day, scoring 128 from 235 on a good batting track, his second Test century, and his first in India. By the time he departed, India had reached 245, more than half of Australia’s total.
The 23-year-old has been in and out of the side and finally made his return in the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Indore. His inclusion was at the expense of out-of-form opener KL Rahul.
During the interaction with teammate Cheteshwar Pujara on BCCI.tv after the match, the in-form opener reflected on his memorable innings and said: “Honestly, what I was thinking was, ‘I don’t know when I’ll get a wicket like this. I don’t want to waste this opportunity playing a bad shot’. That’s what was going through my mind.
“I was still trying to be positive keep looking for those singles and that’s what we were talking about when we were batting. Just be positive and if they bowl a bad ball, just go for your shots.”
“I am blocking against spinners. I can’t be blocking against fast bowlers as well. You have to balance it out and that’s what I was trying to do.”
Gill and Pujara added 113 runs for the second wicket after skipper Rohit Sharma’s dismissal for 35 on Day 3 and helped India strengthen their position in the match.
When asked how he was feeling physically, Gill told Pujara: “We fielded for around 160 overs and then to be able to bat the whole day today (Saturday)… I was getting some cramps. But if you are getting cramps, it means you are on a good pitch. You should always be getting cramps because then you know you’re doing well.”
Resuming the innings on Day 4, India trail by 118 runs with Virat Kohli currently batting on 88 and Srikar Bharat at 25.
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