We could have been a little bit more brave – Shubman Gill
The Men in Blue went down fighting in the second ODI as the bowlers failed to put up a show. With the series tied at 1-1, Indian captain Shubman Gill opened up on what were the exact challenges that scuppered India’s prospect in Saurashtra.
Gill himself put up a fine show with the bat, carving a knock of 56 from 53 balls. Despite Team India posting 284 on the board, the bowlers were unable to claim wickets in the middle and the visitors had an easy run to the end.
Shedding light on the points that went against India in the defence, Gill said, “We couldn't pick up any wickets in the middle overs. With five fielders in, if you don't keep taking wickets in the middle overs, it becomes very difficult even if we would have added 15-20 more runs. And if you don't pick up wickets in the middle overs, it's very difficult to stop a target.”
Explaining the start-stop motion in the Indian innings, Gill added, “On these kinds of wickets, as soon as you have a partnership, the set batsman has to make it big because it's not easy for the batsman coming in to score freely. In the end, we did get a decent target on the board and we bowled exceptionally well in the first 10 overs. And the kind of start that we got in the bowling, we were trying to squeeze them down, put them under pressure, but I think they batted really well in the middle overs. “
Adding further, Gill said, “In the first 10-15 overs that we bowled, the ball was doing a little bit. But I think after the 20-25 overs, the wicket maybe settled in a little bit, but I think we could have been a little bit more brave while bowling in the middle overs. We could have taken a little bit more chances.”
He concluded with a stern word about India’s fielding, stating, “Even in the last match, we let down a couple of chances. It's one thing that we are always, especially with this team, we are always trying to get better at fielding. It's one aspect that we're always trying to get better at. And yes, if you don't take your chances, in this format, it always makes you lose.”
