Hyderabad: Gujarat Titans batter Shubman Gill who was adjudged the Player of the Match said he was playing ball to ball and over to over after his side defeated Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians to enter the Indian Premier League final where they will face Chennai Super Kings.
When asked what was playing in his mind when he came in to open the innings, Gill said the only thing he had in mind was to play ball to ball and over to over. "I think it is the over when I hit three sixes and it gave me the momentum to go for big runs. That's when I realised it could be my day. And it was a good surface to bat on as well," Gill said.
Orange cap- With his purple patch continuing, Gill received the Orange cap after his season's cumulative score surpassed Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf Du Plessis 730 runs when the former scored nine runs against Mumbai Indians. Gill has scored 851 runs from 16 matches with a strike rate of 156.43 in the current season.
IPL career best-Gill's IPL career top score is 60-ball 129 which came off the Friday night match against Mumbai Indians. He has hit 33 sixes and 78 fours in his sixth season since his debut in 2018. Gill rated his Friday ton, which is his third in the current season as well as in his entire IPL career spanning six years, as his IPL career best so far.
Six every 16 balls-As far as the sixes go, the Titans power batter had hit more sixes as his boundaries in two of three tons in the IPL. Statistics show, that he was hitting a six in 33 deliveries he faced in the last season and now he needs less than half of those deliveries. He is hitting a six for every 13 deliveries he face in this season. He was asked whether it was a conscious decision.
"It is definitely not a conscious decision, you keep inventing (yourself) as a batter but for me, the belief is more important. I am coming off a good international season as well. Had a good season last time as well. When I start well, I feel confident that I can score well," Gill responded.
Leave expectations beyond the ropes- Gill said the expectations follow him outside the rope and not in the game. "Expectations are something that follows you outside the ropes, but once you step on the field it is all about trying how to contribute to the team. I think this was probably my best innings so far in the Indian Premier League."
Technical changes- The Titans opener is of the opinion that the technical changes he has incorporated in his batting to have paid off. "From the last West Indies tour, I think I have shifted a gear, I got injured before the last IPL but I've been working on my game. I've worked on a few areas and made technical changes ahead of the New Zealand series after the T20 World Cup," he said.
