India opener Shubman Gill who made his Test debut against Australia away from home revealed that it felt like he was “going into a war”. Gill scored 45 and 35* in his first assignment for India against the Aussies.
“As long as the fielding lasted, I was pretty normal. But when we finally batted, and I was taking a walk down from the dressing room to the pitch with the crowd cheering (backing the Aussies, nevertheless), it was an experience of a kind! It felt like going into a war!” he told his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders’ official website.
The right-handed batsman played an important role in India’s 2-1 win against Australia in the four-match series after he notched up 259 runs during the course. Gill explained what he felt when he first received the Test cap.
“It’s inexplicable. At times you go through a sea of emotions which just make you go numb. It was that kind of a moment. Ravi Shastri gave a speech in the huddle and then I received the cap from him. After that we won the toss and elected to field first,” he recalled.
“It was a different kind of fun to watch Brett Lee bowl or Sachin sir (Tendulkar) bat. All of a sudden, I was playing in that team and Australians were bowling at me,” he added.
India have tasted success in Australia and against England at home. After beating Australia, India thumped England 3-1 at home to march into the finals of the World Test Championship slated to take place in Southampton in June.