Cricket

I used to be petrified of bouncers – Shubman Gill after a successful Australia tour

 

India’s talented opening batsman Shubman Gill has revealed that he used to be petrified while facing the bouncers in the early phase of his cricketing career. Gill, however, worked hard on facing the bumpers and stated he conquered his fear when he was hit by the ball on a couple of occasions.

The Australian pitches are known for their extra bounce but Gill looked at home while playing against short-pitched stuff from the quality Australian bowling line-up. Gill played the short ball with aplomb and got his runs against pacers like Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc.

In fact, Shubman’s father recently revealed that he bowled 1500 short balls to his son every day to help him prepare against the short deliveries.

Gill stated that he used to play a lot of drives and thus got used to playing the short balls with a straight bat. In fact, Gill looked comfortable while facing the short deliveries from Australian pacers and he was in complete control in almost all the shots he played against the short deliveries. 

“When you get hit by a ball, your fear disappears. You are only scared until you get a blow but once you get hit, you feel like it was pretty normal! And then you lose the fear entirely,” Gill was quoted as saying by his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on its website. 

“When I was young, I used to be petrified of bouncers. I used to be prepared for the chest-height balls way in advance. I used to practice drives a lot so I got mature in playing the pull shot with a straight bat. 

Shubman Gill has made an impressive start to his Test career. Gill made his debut in the Boxing Day Test match and returned with scores of 45 and 35*. Subsequently, he scored a fine fifty in the Sydney Test match.

However, Gill’s best knock of the series came when he scored 91 runs in the second innings of the Gabba Test match and helped lay down a perfect foundation for the run-chase of 328 runs.

Gill finished with 259 runs in three Test matches at an average of 51.80 and he has announced himself at the top level. Gill will be seen in action in the upcoming Test series against England as the first Test match will take place at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai from February 5.

 

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

Aakash Chopra opens on Sanju Samson potentially moving to CSK if released by RR

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Chennai Super Kings could be one of the… Read More

August 8, 2025

Irfan Pathan rates Karun Nair’s performance on England tour, says batter didn’t capitalise on his opportunities

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan gave a rating of four out of 10 to Karun… Read More

August 8, 2025

Robin Uthappa reflects on Kuldeep Yadav being left out of India’s playing 11 during ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa backed the team management’s decision to not play Kuldeep Yadav… Read More

August 7, 2025

Prasidh Krishna’s childhood coach lauds pacer for fine show in ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

India’s fast bowler Prasidh Krishna's childhood coach, P. Srinivasa Murthy, praised his ward for bowling… Read More

August 7, 2025

Sanjay Bangar hails Ravindra Jadeja’s performance in ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar praised Ravindra Jadeja for his consistent performances in the Anderson-Tendulkar… Read More

August 6, 2025

Parthiv Patel lauds KL Rahul, says he performed consistently till the fifth Test against England

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel praised KL Rahul for performing consistently throughout the five-match… Read More

August 6, 2025