By Feroz Khan,News18

Copyright news18

Shubman Gill’s appointment as India Test captain post Rohit Sharma’s retirement wasn’t universally accepted with critics arguing that the young batter’s middling record in the format puts a question mark on whether he even deserves a spot as a player alone. Gill knew his performance needed to improve especially since he’s now the skipper who will have to lead by example.
There was a technical flaw in Gill’s batting which left him vulnerable against quality seamers, and it was consistently exploited by several bowlers to dismiss him in the past. So he began fixing the flaw in the nets during IPL.
Besides sweating it out in the nets, Gill also took advise from two batting greats on how best to excel in English conditions where pace bowlers have traditionally thrived in swing-friendly conditions.
Gill spoke with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and then dialed Australia superstar Steve Smith’s number. Both gave him the same advice.
“I spoke to Sachin Sir and also took the (phone) number from Matthew Wade (who played with Gill in the IPL team) and spoke to Steve Smith. Both said the same thing: defend straight and score square,” Gill told JioHotstar before the start of 1st Test between India and West Indies in Ahmedabad.
The imprint of Tendulkar’s words was visible on how Gill thwarted England bowlers during India’s memorable 2-2 draw in the five-match series earlier this year. He racked up a record 754 runs across the series that included a best score of 269.
Gill also revealed how he wants to instill a culture of security in the Test team.
“I just want every member of the squad to feel secure about what they have to do. We will put all our efforts and if still a team manages to do better than us, then it’s a different thing,” Gill said.