Rahul Dravid always emphasized on mental toughness ahead of big matches, reveals Shubman Gill

Rahul Dravid always emphasized on mental toughness ahead of big matches, reveals Shubman Gill

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Indian teenage sensation Shubman Gill has revealed that his mentor Rahul Dravid has always helped him tighten up his mental toughness ahead of big matches. He further revealed that Dravid adviced him to stick to his natural, aggressive style of play which has given him immense success.

He might be just 19 years of age, but Shubman Gill has already made enough inroads in domestic cricket and in the IPL to get people talking about him as the next big thing in Indian cricket. It's not just the talk, as the Punjab youngster has the numbers to back it up too. In 12 first-class matches, he has averaged 78 and also boasts an average over 47 in List A cricket.

One of the key members in Gill's rise to cricket has been former Indian cricket Rahul Dravid, who was his coach when he helped India win the U-19 World Cup in 2018. The youngster has heaped praised on his mentor Dravid for the impact he's had on his career and has revealed that the legendary Indian cricket has adviced him to always stick to his natural game which has yielded him success till date. 

"Rahul sir has been my coach since the India U-19 days and then India A. There is one basic advice from him which I always keep in mind. He would tell me that come what may, never change your basic game that got you success," Gill told Times of India.

"He (Dravid) said that if we want to get technically more solid, all the adjustments that we make should be within the confines of our basic game. Rahul sir told me that if I change my game, it won't be natural anymore and may not provide success. His focus has always been on the mental make-up while we face the challenge posed by the best," he added.

Recently, the 19-year-old struck an impeccable double-century against the West Indies and in the process became the youngster cricketer in Indian cricket history to have scored a double-century for an Indian representative side. He has now singled out that knock as the best one of his career.

"I would certainly rate my double hundred against the West Indies A as one of my best knocks in red ball (cricket) considering the opposition, surface and match situation," Gill said.

He further went on to state that stroke-making came naturally to him, and that he developed the aggressive brand of cricket by enforcing his powerful game against spin bowling.

"I have an attacking game against the spinners. Since childhood, I have practised a lot against spin bowling. So while playing on turners, I developed this particular stroke.

"Actually, even when we lost quick wickets, it didn't strike me or my partner (Hanuma Vihari) that we need to save the match. All we were thinking was how to change the course," he spoke of the knock against the Windies A side.

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