New Delhi: For India, it was the gritty 90-run knock by Shubman Gill that kept them afloat on Day 2 of the third Test against New Zealand. Batting on a turner on Saturday, Gill pleased the Indian fans at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium with a crucial batting effort which put India in an advantageous position. He was joined by Rishabh Pant in the middle, whose attacking 60 gave India a 28-run lead.
New Zealand ended the second day at 171/9 in their second innings, taking a lead of 143 runs. Batting in a pressure situation, Gill credited having a clear mindset on a turning track at the start of the day which ultimately worked well for him. “I was honestly trying to have fun. I love batting, if I try to think of it as just going out there and having another opportunity to bat for the maximum amount that I can, that is what I was thinking,” Gill said at the post-match press conference as quoted by PTI.
Shubman Gill gets to his 7th Test half-century!
An entertaining FIFTY partnership comes 🆙 between him and Rishabh Pant 🤜🤛#TeamIndia trail by 83 runs
Live – https://t.co/KNIvTEyxU7#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/in6ILLdrzG
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 2, 2024
He went on to talk about his 96-run stand with Pant saying that he pursued the approach of putting pressure on the New Zealand bowlers during their partnership. “When you put the bowlers under pressure, it is difficult for them to bowl in that area consistently and that’s what we talked about,” Gill said.
“The way Rishabh came in and started hitting those boundaries, in that particular session they were not very consistent with their line and length so that’s how we were able to cash in,” Gill dissected. Combinedly facing 114 balls, Gill and Pant amassed 96 runs for the fifth wicket.
One good partnership needed: Gill
India will look to bowl out New Zealand as quickly as possible on Day 3 to chase a target of around 150 and Gill said that all the hosts need is one good partnership to get a favourable result. “It’s all about one good partnership. When you are chasing a total which is around 150-160, if you have one good partnership of 70-80 runs, the match is done and dusted,” he said, saying that even the confidence of the opposition will drop seeing a 70-80 run stand during the chase.
