Shubman Gill thanked Hardik Pandya for giving him confidence after the batter scored his maiden T20I ton vs New Zealand.
Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill chat at the end of India vs New Zealand T20I series. Photo by: Arjun Singh / SPORTZPICS for BCCI
Ahmedabad: Opening batter Shubman Gill was the star of the match with his maiden T20I ton as India defeated New Zealand in the third T20I by 168 runs to clinch the series 2-1. Gill smashed not out 126 to help India score a mammoth 234 for 4 after batting first. New Zealand were bowled out for just 66 in 12.1 overs as India posted their biggest win in terms of runs.
Read: India’s biggest-ever win, Gill outscores Kiwis and more stats
In his quick-fire knock, Gill smashed seven sixes and 12 fours and scored runs at a strike rate of 200. With his latest whirlwind innings, the batter also justified his spot in the T20I team. After scoring just 76 runs in his first T20Is this year after making his debut, there were calls to replace the opener at the top, but captain Hardik Pandya decided to stick with Gill and the batter repaid his faith by making India’s highest T20I score.
“I didn’t do well up to my expectations in T20s. So I was eager to do well. You gave me the confidence before the match. Before I went to the game, you told me match se pehle ki jaise main khelta hu vaise hi khelo (before the match, you asked me to keep faith in my game). Vo chhoti chhoti cheez help karti hai (those small things help) when I know I don’t have to do anything extra, or anything that’s not me. That helped today. The way I practice, the way my dad made me practice, I think 90 percent credit goes to him,” Gill told Pandya in a video shared by BCCI.
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Gill also revealed how captain Hardik Pandya helped the batter keep his aggression in check during his explosive innings at Ahmedabad.
“To be able to play how I play, I’ve to be very mentally clear. That’s what you told me. Every time I hit a six, he (Hardik) came and told me hold your shape. You don’t have to do anything extra. Don’t try to go too hard. Every ball, he kept reminding me. Especially in the last over against Santner. I was in the zone, I was hitting. I thought maybe I will go for him. But you told me to hold myself back, and to target the other bowlers. Because he had been bowling well. Tactically and technically, it was a near-perfect game for me,” added Gill.
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