‘It’s all about having those shots’: Shubman Gill reflects on playing sweep and reverse sweeps

New Delhi: Young Indian batter Shubman Gill highlighted the importance of choosing the right moments for sweeps and reverse sweeps during his innings. He shared that focusing on these decisions was a key aspect of his approach. Gill also mentioned that revisiting the technical adjustments he made during the England series earlier this year to handle spin proved valuable, helping him craft his 90-run knock in India’s first innings in the ongoing Test.

Gill and Rishabh Pant’s aggressive 60-run partnership gave India a 28-run lead, after which New Zealand closed the second day at 171/9 in their second innings, holding a 143-run advantage.

The sweep and reverse sweep have frequently been risky for Indian batters, often resulting in LBW dismissals. However, Gill shared his perspective on these shots, explaining how he assesses the situation carefully before choosing to play them.

“You play these shots to move the fielders out of their place, the fielders that are in the catching position. Yesterday I played sweeps and the fielders where I wanted the gaps, For me, it’s all about having those shots, but playing them when I know (they are required to be played) is necessary,” Gill told the media at the end of the second day’s play.

Gill acknowledged that he applied all his insights from the England series to his 90-run innings, which provided India with some stability in their first innings.

“Yes, definitely it’s one of the better knocks that I’ve played in Tests. In lead up to this Test, it was all about me working on the areas that I’ve worked on before the England series that we played,” Gill said.

“In that (England) series, I was batting at my best against spinners and just to be able to go back into that mindset and what my positions were while playing spinners, that is what I was trying to replicate before this match in practice,” Gill added.