MANCHESTER: A free flowing batter by nature, Shubman Gill curbed his instincts and controlled his aggression to score an unbeaten half-century against England on Day 4 of the fourth Test here at the Old Trafford Stadium on Saturday and keep India alive in the series. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed the India captain's thought process has changed since the Australia series and he has witnessed the change.
"From the Australia series to this series, I have seen his thought process and the way he batted. It is little different from what he has done in Australia," Kotak told reporters after the day's play on Saturday.
The coach credited Gill for seeing off the two sessions in such testing conditions. "We discuss (things), but I would give a lot of credit to him for deciding what to do on that wicket, what he wants to play, when he does not want to play. And I think he successfully played certain shots and successfully avoided playing certain shots. So I would give a lot of credit to him for that. Because every batter, at some stage of their life, they think and they change the way they bat in Test cricket. And Shubman seemed to be doing that brilliantly in this England series," added Kotak.
Gill along with Rahul saw off more than 62 overs batting for two sessions and added 174 runs for the third wicket. Kotak said that the duo believed that they could do that at the time of lunch. "KL and Gill have shown a lot of belief and determination. Obviously it is tough when you lose two early wickets. But I think at lunchtime also, I felt they had that belief that we will take some time, see first 10-15 overs and then take it from there. So absolutely brilliant the way they batted."
India still have to bat out three sessions if they wish to draw the match. Speaking on their approach going forward in this contest, Kotak said, "If you ask me personally, I think you don't have to play pre-planned shots. You have to play on the merit of the ball. And sometimes you can avoid taking risks unnecessarily."
With a lot of all formats players in the playing XI, the former Saurashra all-rounder said it's all about the mindset and the formats are irrelevant. "There are many all-format players today because everyone wants to play T20s, IPL and even white ball international matches. But I think as a batter, while playing all the formats, your mindset should be such that you play according to the format and the situation you are playing in. Again, more than skills, it depends on mindset."
He, however, said the team is not dealing with No 3 conundrum and affirmed both B Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair played well in that position whenever they got an opportunity. "I don't think it (No 3) has been a problem to be very honest. Yes, Karun got out after a few starts and then Sai also in the first game scored 30 in the second innings and got out. But I don't think it is an area of concern to be very honest. The way Sai batted in the first innings was very good."
He also echoed Gill's sentiments on backing Nair and affirmed the team management still backs him even if he is not in the playing XI of the fourth Test. "The selection is obviously a call of coach Gautam Gambhir and the captain. But if Gill said that he will back him, it meant that in this series, the way he has batted, he has not played badly. He has got a good start every time. Sometimes, if the team management feels that at this stage, maybe in the 4th Test match, there can be pressure on him. So if we can change it, we can do it. It does not mean that the team management is not backing him."
He also defended the team's move to pick an all-rounder instead of a specialist spinner saying every move was aimed at picking up a balanced team. "I think batters have performed but on these wickets, you do not know whether you will win or lose the toss. You do not know what sort of a start you are going to get. So when you pick a team, I think you will try and pick a balanced team. You cannot go because in the last game three guys got 100. Another thing is, because both spinners are also good batters, we are playing two spinners and three regular fast bowlers plus a pace bowling all-rounder.
"Even in that combination, sometimes we feel that six bowlers are not getting enough overs. Somebody asked me last time that Shardul did not bowl that much. So when you have six options, sometimes the captain struggles to bowl all six equally. So it depends but picking an 11, you will always try and keep that balance of batting and bowling."
