India’s young opener Shubman Gill has heaped praise on his former coach Rahul Dravid for getting the best out of the players.
Gill had blossomed under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup as he had finished with 372 runs in five innings to finish as the second highest-run getter of the tournament.
Since then Gill has come a long way in his career and he has been able to bridge the gap between the Under-19 level and the domestic circuit and now the International format. Gill scored 728 runs in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season in five matches at an Bradmanesque average of 104.
Gill also made a memorable Test debut against Australia at the MCG as he played crucial knocks while opening the innings. The right-hander scored a total of 259 runs in three Test matches at an average of 51.29. Furthermore, he scored a vital knock of 91 runs in the historic Gabba Test match, which helped the team in winning the big game.
Gill, who has worked closely with Rahul Dravid while playing for Under-19 and India A teams, stated that the coach doesn’t like to change player’s technique. In fact, Gill revealed that Dravid helps the player prepare mentally and gives them confidence.
“Rahul Dravid is a kind of a coach who doesn’t like to tweak much with players’ [techniques]. He won’t go to a player and say ‘improve this in your technique’ or do this or that. He focuses more on the mental and tactical aspects, how you can approach your game, how you can be mentally tougher in a tough situation,” Gill said while talking to Grade Cricketer.
“People would think that because he was so technically solid he would be telling them a lot of technical stuff but he works more on the tactical aspect and the mindset of the players,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill scored a fine knock of 85 runs in India’s intra-squad match and he is expected to open the innings with Rohit Sharma in the WTC final, which will be played at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton from June 18.
