IPL 2022: Gear up for some 'cheeky shots' from Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has all the classical shots in his repertoire but time off due to shin injury allowed him to work on his technique at the National Cricket Academy and he is ready to show his improvisation skills when he competes for Gujarat Titans in the upcoming IPLThe 21yearold Gill one of the batting mainstays of new IPL franchise in an exclusive interview to PTI spoke on various subjects including his strikerate in T20 cricket preferred batting position World T20 and how he is a firm believer in pouncing on second chancesExcerpts from the InterviewQ Whats kind of adjustments you need to make while playing for Gujarat after four seasons with Kolkata Knight RidersA Its obviously special if you get retained by any team but I havent given much thought about adjustments now that I am with Gujarat Titans It will be a great challenge for me as its a new franchise and Ashu bhai head coach Ashish Nehra and Gary Kirsten Mentor are great people to be around I have just had a brief conversation with them and they seem to be great people I am confident we will do fine as a teamQ You have batted as an opener from the third season but are you ready to be flexible if the new team needs you to beA I started my IPL career with KKR batting at numbers 6 and 7 The first whole year 2018 I batted at No 6 and maybe once if I remember did I open the innings in 14 games I think I batted at No 4 once that seasonIn the second year I batted at No 7 and it was the third year really when I got to open the batting If you ask me what I prefer I would love to bat at the toporder but if the team wants me to do a different role I game for thatQ Did the long layoff from injury allow you to work on any aspects of your battingA I did work on a couple of batting specifics at the NCA I got the opportunity to work on my batting a bit and I have learnt a couple of new shots I worked extensively on my technique with coaches at NCAQ So Shubman that we know prefers copybook technique even when he plays attacking shots Will this IPL bring about any change or there is a particular reason for sticking to the basic grammar of the batting manualA There isnt a particular reason Its just that I back my strengths to be able to hit the bowler over his head rather than trying to be cheekyBut yes as a player I should be capable of playing any shot in the book and on some particular wickets its difficult to hit bowlers down the ground As a player I am trying to learn more shots and how to be able to play all over the ground You might see me play some cheeky shots in this IPLQ Would there be extra pressure to perform as Team Indias T20 toporder slots look more or less settled How does it change your approach for TitansA Not really doesnt change anything It is because I feel as a player whats most important for me is to do my job well for the team Gujarat Titans and I think if I am able to do well then it is also doing well for myselfAnd if we GT go on to play the playoffs and reach the final I might get a chance to play for India in WT20Q Your career strike rate is 124plus and something that critics have pointed out Do you feel any added burden to change thatA I feel you have to close yourself to all the critics and do what the team wants from you As a player I should be able to play in any given situation If my team wants me to bat at 160 180 or even 200 strike rate I should be able to do thatBut if my team wants me to soak in the pressure in a tough situation and wants me to go at 110 strike rate I should be able to do that as well being flexible in all situationsAs long as I am able to do that I am really happy and not focus on what people have to sayQ What is your process of internalising disappointments How does your mind work and how do you seek solutionsA What really motivates me when I am not able to perform is the next opportunity that comes along I am always looking forward to that next opportunity both for myself and for my teamI will give you an example When I was injured I was really looking forward to what we have next and IPL was coming upDuring 2021 I had a really bad first phase of IPL in India and also as a team we hadnt done well But knowing that we have another opportunity to make a comeback maybe winning six out of seven games that challenge motivated me KKR reached the title clashWhen I was going through that bad phase and then when phase two came I thought this is my opportunity to correct myself This is my chance to pounce on an opportunity and make the most of it I would keep thinkingstylecolor ff0000gtmiddayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for the dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the contents in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever