IPL 2018, Shubman Gill interview: When I go in to bat, there's just the willow, ball and situation in my mind

“That boy is special. I don’t want to hype it up and put extra pressure on him. I can see a lot of years of India Blues in him.”: Dinesh Karthik

At the Eden Gardens, as Kolkata Knight Riders cruised to victory over Chennai Super Kings, Shubman Gill provided another glimpse of his precocious talent while his captain Dinesh Karthik provided a glimpse of the youngster’s future.

Gill has been the talk of the town of late. A century in just his second first-class match. A Man of the Tournament trophy in the U-19 World Cup and now a maiden IPL fifty, against CSK, becoming just the fourth-youngest player to hit a half-century in the league.

His strokeplay and temperament stood out against CSK as he strode out to bat at 40/2 after being promoted at No 4 and scored 36-ball 57 to help KKR chase down 178.

Firstpost caught up with the Punjab boy to understand his approach in T20s, how his life has changed after getting into the limelight and how is he dealing with that pressure.

You hit your maiden half-century against CSK. During that innings, you were aggressive as well as calm. Are you naturally aggressive or have you developed this approach?

It is natural. Right from the childhood up till now, my batting style has been a free-flowing one. I was aggressive right from my younger days. If your batting style is aggressive, it reflects on your nature as well. So it was there right from the childhood.

You had played a series of ODIs earlier, but T20 is a different ball game. How do you approach a T20 innings?

It depends on where I bat. If I am batting up the order, especially in the middle overs, Rahul (Dravid) sir had told me that running between the wickets is very important. He had said that ‘your strike rate doesn’t increase by hitting fours and sixes but always via singles.’ because the boundary percentage of every batsman is almost similar. The batsman that has low dot ball percentage has a better strike rate. I tried to employ this in the last year’s U-19 matches and I noticed that if I increase my singles percentage and the dot percentage is reduced, then in those matches my strike rate has been very good. And in T20 also this is very important, you shouldn’t get stuck in the middle overs because one odd boundary will come anyway in two-three overs. But if the dot balls increase, the run rate falls. So that is very important.

How much impact has Rahul Dravid had on your career?

Very much. Last year in February when we played against England in Mumbai, I got out in 20s in the first two ODIs playing lofted strokes. So Rahul sir told me, you won’t hit the lofted shot in the next two matches. And he told me that you will open the batting while I was batting one-down in the previous matches. He made me open so that I take up more responsibility and bat till the end. In the next two matches, I scored 140 (138) and 160 in which I didn’t play a single lofted shot. So he showed me that ‘Dekh, bina lift maare teri itni acchi strike rate hai, 160 off 120 balls, tujhe lift maarne ki zara bhi zaroorat nahi hai’ (Look, your strike is so good without playing lofted strokes. You don’t need to hit aerial shots). As you move forward and learn, you will get more experienced and matured.

In the T20s also, you are employing a similar approach?

Yes, when I came in to bat (against CSK), I had one over of powerplay so I played my natural game (hit three fours off Watson) and then when the spinners came in, my strategy was to take as many singles as possible. Up till the 15th over, a strike-rate of 120-130 is good enough and after that even if you cash in on one or two overs, it jumps to 160-170. So it’s very important to learn these things. And my learning process is going well.

How did you develop this ability to pick lengths early?

The credit has to go to my father and brother. I have practised (since my childhood) with my brother, he was a medium pacer and had a gifted shoulder because of which he could throw with strong force. So right from a very young age, I had this habit of playing fast deliveries. My dad has always made me play in the higher age groups where while batting, the ball comes to you at a greater speed . That’s the reason  I can adjust very well and really quickly.

How has been the experience of playing Mitchell Johnson in the nets?

It has been a very good experience. He is always competitive in the nets. He sets the field and bowls accordingly. The intensity with which he bowls in the nets is the same as the match.

Many bouncers would have come your way then?

(Smiles) Yes, just like the way he bowls the bouncers to other batsmen, he bowls it the same way in the nets. The first couple of balls I played, I left it to gauge his pace; he was bowling at a good pace. And then when we simulated death overs, I started hitting.

What was the feeling after getting into KKR camp, especially being among stalwarts like Johnson, Kallis and Katich?

It was a really good feeling that I would get to play with big players, interact with them and get to know how they think in different situations and read their mind. So it was a really good experience.

How different was the pressure going into the IPL as compared to the U-19 World cup?

When we were playing in the U-19 World Cup, we got the idea that if in U-19, the pressure level and crowd factor is like this then how much more would it be in the IPL. Like in our first match, against RCB, the stadium was jam-packed and it was an altogether different experience. Because before this (in the past), I was the part of crowd, not a part of the playing eleven or squad. It was a new experience for me. I felt really good. It was a challenge for me to cope up with all this. But once I got into the playing eleven and went out to bat, I just shut off. Nothing affects me, I forget the crowd and all other stuff. When I go out to bat, it’s just the bat, ball and the situation in my mind.

You didn’t get to play the first couple of games and then batted at 6 or 7 in the next four games, what was going through your mind when you walked out to bat at No 4 against CSK?

The balls and runs calculation was going on. How many runs required in how many balls, after every over. I was also comparing it with CSK’s scores at that particular stage and telling myself to keep coping up with it. We had already lost two wickets. In T20s, the most important thing is to keep wickets in hand and if you can manage that then you can chase even if the required rate is 15-17 an over. So the important thing was to build the innings and then assess the situation from 13-15 overs and play accordingly.

How much of an added pressure you experienced considering the fact that you had dropped Dhoni earlier in CSK’s innings and how did you deal with it?

Obviously, it put a lot of pressure. That too in the 18th over and you know that with just one over to go, Dhoni sir is going to go berserk no matter what. So it was a high pressure situation for me that at such crucial stage an important catch got dropped. But then when we went inside, DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) and everyone else motivated me. They asked me not to worry and told me that even big players drop catches. They said there is no need to take pressure and that I will have to finish the work for the team. Kallis sir told me that if you come up the order, you have to come back unbeaten. That’s what I tried to do.

You have played in the top order for most of your career so far. Against CSK you came in at No 4. What position do you prefer batting at?

It depends on the situation and what my team demands. If they want me to bat at No 6 or No 7 then I am happy with it and if get a place to bat in top order then I will do that.

So you are flexible….

Yeah, I think right now cricket is all about adaptability whether it’s Test, ODI or T20. If you are adaptable to situations and conditions, then it will differentiate you from others.

U-19 World Cup, now IPL, how has life changed?

The one change is that people have started recognising me more. And the other changes have motivated me to work even harder. There is more hunger and if I go below this (level), I myself won’t be able to digest it. So there is even more motivation to perform well.

How are you dealing with the pressure?

Pressure…Batting pe jaane se pehle hi hota hai sara (The entire pressure is only before I go out to bat). Once I go in to bat, I forget everything like what my family members would think, whether the crowd is watching or not, at that time. There is just the willow, ball and the situation (in my mind), according to which I have to bat.

How do you switch off from the game?

I play PlayStation a lot. If we have an off day in between then I go out shopping.

Which game on PlayStation?

FIFA

Which is your favourite team?

I don’t have any favourite team as such but I have a favourite player in Neymar. In whichever team he goes, I play with that team (smiles).