We back ourselves to chase – Shubman Gill on India’s win against England
Shubman Gill led from the front as India registered a clinical win in Birmingham, securing a crucial lead in the three-match ODI series.
Gill stayed unbeaten for 80 while the rest of the Indian batters made light work of the modest target that England set. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar’s salient stand helped India cross the finish line emphatically.
Talking at the post-match presentation, India captain Shubman Gill opened up on the dynamics of the game while highlighting the desire to bowl first after the toss. He also shed some light on getting the combination right ahead of the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Shedding light on the start of series on a positive note, Gill said, “Yeah, when you see your middle order, lower middle order score runs like that and finish off the job for the team, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top order batsman.”
Explaining the mindset on willing to bowl first, Gill added, “Honestly, it was more about our combination. We have a youngish bowling attack, so our batting is still a bit more experienced than our bowling. So, first game of the series, we wanted to bowl first so that even if there's a target of 320, we back the kind of batting order that we have, we back ourselves to chase that.”
Reflecting on India’s performance with the ball, Gill stated, “I think how we bowled in the middle overs was very pleasing. I think they were 50-odd in the 10 overs. We bowled brilliantly well in the first 6-7 overs. The ball was doing a bit and we bowled the right areas. And then they got a bit away in the end of the powerplay. We were put under pressure. But I think how we bounced back, how we came back and took those five wickets was very important.”
He concluded with a thought about the experiments ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup, adding, “Yes, we are really trying different combinations to see which kind of combination gives us best depth in bowling and batting, in both the departments. I think the wicket that we played on, the conditions would be a bit similar to South Africa. It was not easy for the batsmen with the new ball. The ball was doing a bit, the ball was kicking off. It wasn't as easy to score runs with the new ball. But, the wicket settled in nicely and I think the conditions are going to play similar in South Africa as well. So if we can test different combinations on these kind of wickets, it would be great for us.”
