India vs West Indies | Expected to be selected for at least one of the squads, says Shubman Gill
Getty
Indian opener Shubman Gill has expressed his disappointment over his exclusion from India's limited-overs side to take on the Windies. The opener has revealed that he expected his name in at least one of the squads but has vowed to continue working hard to earn a place in the Indian side.
Ahead of the squad announcement for the limited-over matches against the Windies, Punjab Opener Shubman Gill was one of the prime candidates to make the Indian squad, with the youngster having struck back-to-back fifties playing for India 'A' against West Indies 'A'. However, a returning Shikhar Dhawan and a full-strength line-up meant that Giill, unfortunately, had no space in the squad, and had to sit out the series. The 19-year-old has now come forward and expressed his disappointment over his non-selection but has vowed to keep scoring big runs in his quest to break into the Indian side.
“I was waiting for the Indian senior team to be announced on Sunday and I expected to be selected for at least one of the squads. It was disappointing not to get picked but I am not going to spend time thinking over it. I’ll keep scoring runs and performing to the best of my ability to impress the selectors," Gill told Cricketnext.
Hours after being overlooked for the ODI and T20I squad, Gill smashed a thunderous 69 of just 40 balls in the fifth unofficial ODI to seal a 4-1 series win for India 'A', a knock which almost seemed like a fitting reply and a timely reminder to the selectors.
“It was a fantastic series for me and team as well since we won with a 4-1 margin. Personally, I would have liked to carry on and score at least a couple of hundreds in those fifties. But I will learn from this experience,” Gill added.
Having come up against venomous swing and seam in New Zealand earlier this year, Gill encountered a completely different challenge in the Carribean - Pace and bounce. Gill acknowledged the quality of the West Indies team and the difficulty of the pitches in the Caribbean, while also admitting that he learned quite a few lessons throughout the course of the series, with the most important one being the need to put a price on the wicket.
“The West Indies team that we faced here in the series was very good. The pitches — especially in the first few one-dayers — were very tough to bat on. It was tough challenging cricket and it’s good that we managed to come out on top,” Gill said.
“The biggest lesson that I have learned from my first West Indies tour is to try to curb my natural game depending on match condition. It’s important to block the good balls as well and remain at the crease for as long as possible. Person who is set at the crease needs to bat through the difficult period,” he added.
