Shubman Gill reveals why he will never take strike on the first ball in Tests again

Many eyes will be on Shubman Gill when India takes the field against New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final in five days’ time. The youngster has managed to impress many cricket experts and pundits in his brief international career and would be determined to shine in the summit clash. However, facing the new Dukes ball in the swing-friendly conditions of Southampton would take some beating from the young opener.

With Trent Boult and Tim Southee operating with the new red cherry, Gill would certainly not want to take the strike on the first ball. Notably, Gill has faced the first ball only once in his Test career, and his outing wasn’t fruitful. It was the fourth Test against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad earlier this year.

Veteran pacer James Anderson was in business, and Gill couldn’t handle his brilliance. The England fast bowler bowled an in-swinger on the third ball and dismissed the opener LBW. As a result, Gill walked away with a three-ball duck. Recalling his dismissal, the 21-year-old said that Rohit Sharma had allowed him to start the innings at the non-striker’s end in the previous games. However, during the Ahmedabad Test, Gill himself decided to take the strike and regretted the decision later.

When Shubman Gill tackled the first ball

“I don’t know why I said it to him that I’ll take the strike in this one. I don’t know why I said it again. Obviously, that didn’t work out for me as I got out for a duck in the third or the fourth ball for a duck but that won’t be happening again,” Gill said on The Grade Cricketer Show.

Further in the conversation, Gill also explained why he keeps a red handkerchief in his pocket while playing. “I don’t think it’s a superstition to be honest. I don’t know why, for some reason, I like the colour red. So, I started wearing that red handkerchief. And then, obviously, when you score runs, if you do well, you tend to go with whatever you’re doing in that moment. So, that’s one thing that kind of stuck with me, and I keep like, I keep it with me all the time,” he added.