It's time to show that I deserve that spot: Shubman Gill on being picked for the T20I series against New Zealand

Shubman Gill was in impeccable form in the first quarter-final of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, battering a 55-ball-126 that propelled Punjab to a mammoth 225 batting first. Despite coming close, thanks to some late blitzkrieg from Abhinav Manohar and Krishnappa Gowtham, Karnataka fell just short of the finish line.

Gill’s century came the day after he was called up to the Indian side for the upcoming bilateral affair against New Zealand. He was clinically accurate with his stroke execution and led the charge till the 19th over before Kaverappa got the better of him.

In his special knock in the first quarter-final of the tournament, Shubman Gill showcased his understanding of the contest and his perfect sense of timing for switching gears. Earlier he was known for getting those starts but somehow, he failed to go big after a certain point in time. However, the new incarnation of Gill has made people believe that he is going to be a leading figure in the posterity of Indian cricket.

At the presentation ceremony, Shubman Gill was asked about the feeling of being selected for the national side and he was vocal about the joys of donning the Indian jersey again, especially under such stiff competition. Gill said, “It's always good to see your name in the Indian team in any format and it's time to show that I deserve that spot.”

Talking about his special innings, he said. “We have seen there is seam movement for the team bowling first (at Eden Gardens), we spoke about not losing wickets in the powerplay, that was the plan. Once you are set, you can score big and in the previous match, I made the mistake of going hard after not scoring big in the powerplay. As the ball gets older, it's easier to score and build momentum. In the last match, I fell early and there was big partnership, today Abhishek and Prabhsimran fell early, me and Anmolpreet had a partnership, (it) shows that everyone in the team is in form and we are batting with a lot of confidence.”

He was impressive against West Indies and Zimbabwe in his last outings for the Men in Blue, where he got a 98 followed by his maiden international century. He has been carrying his good form ever since and would continue to be a major force in the heart of India as they travel to New Zealand post the T20 World Cup.