India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023: 'We need to be at our 100% to win final,' claims Shubman Gill

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Colombo, Sep 16: Team India were given a reality check with a defeat against Bangladesh in a dead rubber Super 4 match of Asia Cup 2023 on Friday (September 15). Shubman Gill slammed a gritty century in the run chase of 266 but couldn't take his team home as India fell shy of 6 runs.

The Men in Blue will now be taking on hosts Sri Lanka in the summit clash on Sunday (September 17) at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Team India will have to bring their A-game in the final against Dasun Shanaka-led side, who are also the defending champions of the T20 format.

Gill, one of the most skilled members of this Indian side, played a valuable knock of 121 off 133 deliveries and showcased his batting prowess with his knock on a tricky Colombo track. Barring him, no other batter lived up to the expectations as Bangladesh bowlers bundled them out for 259.

The 24-year-old batting talent shared some of his key insights on the game and his approach towards batting during an exclusive interview with Star Sports on their program Follow the Blues.

Shubman Gill on batting strategy against Bangladesh

The Punjab cricketer also highlighted evolving strategies and lessons learned from past experiences, marking the importance of developing a winning mentality in the run-up to the World Cup.

"On a slow wicket, you get a lot of dot balls, so when batting, we were thinking of how to reduce the number of dot balls. And the more we rotate the strike, the easier it gets. The wicket was slow, and the ball was turning a lot, so taking singles wasn't easy on this wicket, especially for a batsman who had just come in.

"So the talk was to just allow the ball to come to us, and generally on a slow wicket, we score more runs square of the wicket, not many runs are scored in front. So we were playing the ball late and square of the wicket," Gill said.

"When I was batting, there's so much adrenaline at first, you know, when I got out, it was a miscalculation on my side, but then you realize there was actually a lot of time left, and if I batted normally and not aggressively, we should have been able to get over the line, but these are the learnings, and fortunately, this wasn't the final game for us. So I think these are the learnings as a batsman I'd like to take and improve on," he added.

Captain Rohit Sharma made five changes to the playing eleven in the match against Bangladesh as some key players like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were rested. Matthew Hayden picks Sanju Samson in India's 15-member World Cup 2023 squad, drops Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal

On the team's decision to rest players, Gill said, "The reason we gave rest to our bowlers is because we played continuously for three days, against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the bowlers needed a bit of rest so that they can come in fresh for the finals. I don't think there has been a momentum break for us. I think when bowling against their lower order, we gave away extra runs, about 10-15 runs more than what we would like."

Reflecting on his team's performance against Bangladesh, Gill said, "Other than that, I think we played good cricket. And as I said in wickets like these, I was set and I feel I should have finished the game, and all these learnings we can use in games for the World Cup and the finals of the Asia Cup. It's important to have the habit of winning and to get into form and get your mentality set at the right time."

"We know there are nine matches for every team, and we will try to keep the momentum we have and bring it to the World Cup because there will be pressure if we lose one or two games. If we win here, we will take a lot of confidence into the World Cup," the Indian opener added.

Gill emphasized that the rush of adrenaline often could lead to miscalculations. Sharing his experience with keeping his emotions in check, he highlighted the importance of learning from past games and improving upon those areas.

Speaking on the World Cup and the approach to gameplay, Gill touched upon the importance of maintaining momentum and creating a winning habit while learning valuable lessons from each match. He reassuringly stated that there was no break in their momentum despite the rest given to bowlers.

Preparation for ODI World Cup

Speaking about the playing conditions, Gill praised the wickets (in the Asia Cup) they are playing on presently, terming them perfect for a test of batsmen and bowlers alike. He conveyed that the pressure of playing against formidable teams in such conditions would eventually be beneficial in the World Cup.

"I think the kind of wickets we are playing on is absolutely perfect. It's a great test for the batsman and the bowlers because I think these are the kind of wickets that we would generally play on in India. And to play in these conditions against good teams, and the pressure will be definitely something that will help us in the World Cup," the right-handed batter stressed.

Shubman Gill on India vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup Final

He also acknowledged formidable opponents like Sri Lanka and emphasized the team's preparedness to put their best foot forward. Speaking on the upcoming finals of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka, Gill acknowledged Sri Lanka's great momentum and said India would have to "pull up our socks and bet at our 100%" to beat the formidable opponents.

"Yeah, I think they have great momentum with them, the way they won the last match was great to see, and I think we will have to pull up our socks and bet at our 100% to beat them," Gill signed off.