‘I've not been…’ - Shubman Gill makes honest confession about his Test performance on the eve of Duleep Trophy opener

Ahead of the 2024 Duleep Trophy, Team India's top-order batter Shubman Gill has made an honest confession about his Test career. The 24-year-old admitted he failed to live up to his own expectations but backed himself to turn the tables in the coming months.

Gill started as an opener but was later demoted to number three to fill the void of Cheteshwar Pujara. Despite getting off to a promising start in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the right-hander failed to maintain the consistency in the format. He has played 35 Tests so far and averages just 35.52 with four centuries and six fifties.  

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the Duleep Trophy, Gill was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: "Yes, I've not been up to my own expectations ([n Test cricket]. But we have ten Tests coming up together. Hopefully, after these ten Tests end, I'd be up to my expectations or more."  

Also Read: Duleep Trophy 2024: All you need to know about where and how to watch?

Gill shares how he managed to perform well in England series 

Notably, Gill managed to cement his place in the Indian Test squad with some crucial knocks against England earlier this year. He scored 452 runs in nine innings at an average of 56.50. The Punjab cricketer noted that it took him some time to adapt to the defensive game after more exposure to T20 cricket.

"I worked on my defence a little bit more, especially against the spinners. Playing on turning tracks, you should be able to defend a lot more. Then you play scoring shots. With more T20 and playing on batting-friendly tracks in the white ball, I feel it takes away a little from your defensive game over a period of time. So that was my focus during the England series," added Gill.

India’s domestic red ball season will commence on September 5 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Several international stars will participate in the first round of the tournament. Shubman Gill will lead the A team which consists of prominent players like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Yadav and Avesh Khan.

Also Read: Yet another player ruled out of Duleep Trophy 2024 opening round - reports