Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

'Used To Be Petrified Of Bouncer': Gill Reveals How He Faced His Fear Of Bouncer As A Kid

Shubman Gill's debut Test series was like a dream start to his career. Playing on the bouncy pitches of Australia, Gill positioned himself to negotiate with the deadly bouncers of Pat Cummins, Jos

IANS News
By IANS News January 24, 2021 • 16:25 PM
Cricket Image for 'Used To Be Petrified Of Bouncer': Gill Reveals How He Faced His Fear Of Bouncer A
Cricket Image for 'Used To Be Petrified Of Bouncer': Gill Reveals How He Faced His Fear Of Bouncer A (Shubman Gill (Image Source - Google))
Advertisement

Shubman Gill's debut Test series was like a dream start to his career. Playing on the bouncy pitches of Australia, Gill positioned himself to negotiate with the deadly bouncers of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc and played a key role in India's memorable win in the fourth and final Test in Brisbane, which helped the Ajinkya Rahane-led side clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"When I was young, I used to be petrified of bouncers. I used to be prepared for the chest-height balls way in advance. I used to practice drives a lot so I got mature in playing the pull shot with a straight bat. I also developed one more shot where I move back a little to play the cut. I used to feel scared of short deliveries so I always wanted to get away from the line of the ball to play the cut shot. These two-three shots were my favorite as a kid and now they have become a part of me," Gill was quoted as saying by kkr.in.

Trending


At times, these pre-emptive measures were just to appease his troubled mind. It wasn't a big deal to be hit on the body by a pacer after all. This is a realization that dawned upon Gill while he was playing an age group match in Mohali.

"When you get hit by a ball, your fear disappears. You are only scared until you get a blow but once you get hit, you feel like it was pretty normal! And then you lose the fear entirely. I was nine years old when I was asked to play in a higher age group match. There was a bowler in the academy who was really fast. I was batting against him and was scared that I would get a bouncer to start with. So, I had pre-decided that I would just duck it," the 21-year-old reminisced.


Read More

Cricket Scorecard

Advertisement
Advertisement