‘Spoke to Tendulkar and Steve Smith before England series’: Shubman Gill reveals advice from them

Indian captain Shubman Gill revealed he spoke to Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Smith before the five-match Test series against England. Gill said there was a bit of pressure on him before the England tour as he was averaging 25 outside the subcontinent conditions. 

The right-hander said Tendulkar and Smith told him to play with a straight bat and look to score runs square of the wicket. The advice worked wonders as Gill amassed 754 runs in five Test matches at a stunning average of 75.40 and broke all the records to lead from the front. Gill scored four centuries in English conditions and played an instrumental role in India’s 2-2 series draw.

“There was pressure of not doing well outside India. But I was feeling very confident in terms of my practice, mentally, and what positions I was getting into,” Gill told Hotstar.

“I spoke to Sachin Sir and also took the (phone) number from Matthew Wade (who played with Gill in the IPL team) and spoke to Steve Smith. Both said the same thing: defend straight and score square.”

Meanwhile, Gill was getting troubled by the incoming deliveries and he was able to sort out his issues. Before the England tour, Sachin Tendulkar shed light on Gill’s technique and revealed the areas he needs to work on.

Tendulkar had told the Indian Express, “80% of the time or even more, most batters are dismissed on that front foot. Back foot, unless it’s an obvious weakness, is less. The key to solving this is to focus a lot on getting on the front foot, having that nice stride on the front foot and defending well. Driving is only an extension of that. If he [Shubman] can keep it straight and do that, it will help him.”

Gill remained unbeaten on 18 on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies on Thursday.