India vs Australia: Felt bad for the way I got out, Shubman Gill opens up on debut Test innings

Under-19 World Cup-winning batsman Shubman Gill, who made his Test debut in the ongoing Boxing Day Test between India and Australia, said he was unhappy with the way he got out in his maiden innings in the whites.

The 21-year-old Gill, owning the cap No. 297, walked in to bat for the first time in Test cricket on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With the new red ball swinging, bouncing, and seaming, the young Punjab batsman had the fierce and experienced Australian pacers – Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, bowling at him.

Gill took 10 deliveries before he scored his first Test runs and all the 10 balls were bowled to him by Cummins – the same bowler, who would eventually send him back to the pavilion. Gill went off the mark in Test cricket through a straight drive for a boundary. Even though he looked out of place on Day 1, he successfully ended the opening day on an unbeaten 28.

However, Gill managed to add only 17 runs to his overnight individual score. On the final ball of the 22nd delivery, which would also see the end of Cummins' spell for the session, Gill got tempted to go after the Cummins delivery that was bowled around the fourth stump. While Gill could have left it, he went for a drive that edged into Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine's gloves.

Gill, who looked devastated for choosing a loose shot to get out, later on admitted how disappointed he was to do so.

"Not really satisfied with the way I got out. It was the last ball of Pat Cummins' spell and I should have navigated through it. It was a loose shot to play at that moment. But my overall goal of playing with intent, building partnerships if an early wicket falls, was executed nicely to some extent. But I felt bad for the way I got out.

The ball was moving when I came. The only things which I said to myself were that no matter is happening on the pitch or around me, I should play and express myself. Playing with intent was my thought process," the debutant said while talking about his plans for his maiden Test innings," Gill said at a press match conference at the end of Day two's play.

Gill also said that facing Indian fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma in the nets has helped him immensely leading up to his Test debut.

"I have been travelling with the team for the last four-five Test series, and being with the team has helped me a lot," Gill said. "To be able to settle in the team. I have been doing all my net sessions and practice sessions and to be able to play someone like Boom [Jasprit Bumrah], [Mohammed] Shami bhai, Umesh [Yadav] bhai and Ishant [Sharma] bhai in the nets, it's a huge confidence booster for a youngster. To be playing a top bowling attack in the nets. When you go out in a match, like when I went out to bat today, I didn't feel like I am in a whole new place. It didn't feel like a completely different level," added Gill.