IPL 2021: Shubman Gill is ready to fit into any role given by captain Eoin Morgan

Promising young Indian batsman Shubman Gill is of the opinion that strike rate is overrated and for him, the biggest strength of a batsman is to adjust to different situations and conditions without having a specific game plan for the situation. Gill who played a pivotal role in India’s historic triumph Down Under has limited experience of ODI and T20 cricket. While he has played just 3 ODI’s for India, he is yet to make his T20I debut. He has often come under scrutiny for his slow strike rate for the Kolkata Knight Riders but Gill isn’t bothered by that. 

"I think strike-rate is kind of overrated," Gill who will be a vital cog for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming said during an exclusive interview with the PTI. 

"It's all about how you adapt to a certain situation. If the team demands you to play with a strike rate of 200 you should be able to do it. If the team demands you to play at a strike rate of 100, you should be able to do it. It's just about adapting to the match situation," he said confidently.

"There shouldn't be a certain pattern to your game where you are only able to play one kind of game and not being able to adapt to different situations," he added.

Gill had a terrific time with the bat in Australia but couldn’t quite follow it up in the home Test series against England. He scored just one half-century in 7 innings as India thrashed England 3-1 in the 4 Test affair. Gill last played for India in the white-ball format against Australia in December last year but the lack of game time especially in the white ball format isn’t something to worry about feels the talented right-handed batsman. 

"I don't think it will affect anything because we have almost 10-12 days before our first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 11) so there's plenty of time for me to prepare," he said.

Gill opened the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders all through the last edition of the IPL but he is ready to fit into any role given by the skipper Eoin Morgan. 

 "I'll be pretty comfortable and up for it whether the team requires me to bat in the middle-order or higher up. I'm up for anything," he said.

Gill said that each of the three formats of the game has its own charm and has its own experiences. 

"Honestly, All the three formats have their own excitement and have their own experiences." "In Test matches, there's a different type of rush and excitement. In ODIs, there's a different kind of rush and when you're playing T20s, it's different. All three are different but all three are really exciting."

Gill made his Test debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year. India was coming off a horrendous performance in the opening Test having being bowled out for their lowest ever Test score (36) in the second innings. Reflecting on that, Gill said that it was a bitter pill to swallow to see the best batting line-up getting bundled out for less than 40 runs. 

"It was not a great feeling when you see the best batting lineup in the world getting bundled out for less than 40 runs.

"Seeing our batsmen getting out for such low scores, I think, it kind of motivated me more to do well whenever I got a chance. I was really determined to do well." "Before the Adelaide Test only I knew that I'll be playing the second match in Melbourne because that's when Virat Bhai was leaving so Ravi Sir told me that I'll be playing from the second Test onwards," he remembered. 

Gill smashed a sensational counter-attacking 91 in the second innings of the final Test at the Gabba in Brisbane which was a perfect set-up for the historic run-chase of 328. Recalling that match, Gill said he really wanted to get a century that day and thought he deserved that feat but that wasn’t to be. 

"I really wanted to get 100 on that day I thought I deserved it. But once I got to the 90s, I knew that I was getting a bit nervous. I thought I would ask for drinks to calm down my nerves but I got out in the same over," he recalled. 

"If I have to rate my innings it was nine out of 10. If I would have got a 100 obviously I would have been able to express myself more," he said.

Gill looks a matured cricketer even at a very young age and most of his shots ooze class and confidence. However, he is guilty of not converting his starts into a big one. 

"When I look back, I don't think I would have done anything differently. I don't have any regrets.

"I don't think there is any concern in not being able to convert those starts. If I see my innings, there are very few innings in which I've thrown my wicket away.

"In most of the innings, where I have not been able to convert my starts, there have been good balls," he pointed out.

Quite often Gill is seen bowling his off-breaks in the KKR nets. Reflecting on that aspect of his game, Gill recalled that he used to bowl a lot during his U 16 and U 19 days but after being called for suspect action he kind of stopped bowling. 

"In U-16 and U-19, I used to bowl a lot but I was warned for suspect action in U-19 then I kind of stopped bowling." "Let's see, you never know I might pick it up and be determined to bowl. I think I should be able to do a pretty good job," he signed off.