Ahmedabad: Indian team’s captain Shubman Gill emphasized that a cricketing set-up built on Test excellence naturally produces strong ODI and T20 sides, while sidestepping the question of a two-tier system in Tests, a topic that has gained traction after the struggles of teams like the West Indies.
Speaking ahead of the second Test against the Caribbean side, Gill noted that teams with a strong red-ball foundation automatically excel in limited-overs formats.
“If your red-ball base is very strong, then you automatically do well in ODIs and T20s. England and Australia are good examples. If your focus is on T20 leagues, sometimes the base of the game suffers, and struggles start from there,” Gill explained.
The Indian skipper stressed that his team remains focused on its own intensity and standards, regardless of the opposition.
“When you are playing for India, you don’t need external motivation to up your intensity. It doesn’t matter who we are playing. We want to maintain our own standards,” he said.
Backing Sai Sudharsan
Gill was also vocal in his support for young batsman Sai Sudharsan, reiterating the importance of giving young players enough opportunities to find their game.
“Once you have given someone six, seven, eight matches, then you can evaluate where he needs to improve. For now, we think he’s the man for us and can play at No. 3 for India for a long time,” Gill said.
Team Strategy and Line-up Updates
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who didn’t get a top-seven batting opportunity in the first Test, could see a promotion based on match situations. Gill noted:
“We saw how he batted in Australia. We want to give him as much game time as possible, especially in India, and will decide his position based on the match situation.”
Gill also clarified that Prasidh Krishna is not in contention for a specialist third-pacer slot yet.
“We want to play our strongest eleven. With the World Test Championship, we need to win 70% of matches to secure a spot in the final. This is still early stages.”
Shubman Gill Stresses Strong Test Foundations As Key To ODI And T20 Success
