'Was Desperate to Get First International Century': Shubman Gill Recalls Struggles Before India Comeback

Shubman Gill was the highest run-scorer in the IPL 2023 season with 890 runs under his belt in 17 matches, but before that, Gill was angling to score his first international century. While the young opener is one of the first names on the team sheet for the Indian team these days, there was a time when Gill was looking to make his comeback in the Indian team after sustaining an injury in 2022.

In an interview with GQ India, Gill revealed how he was putting himself under immense pressure to get to the three-figure mark having missed out on a century against Australia when Gill was dismissed on 91.

After that famous win in Brisbane, Gill finished his stint of rehab at the National Cricket Academy, and would go on to win the IPL with Gujarat Titans and made his return to the Indian team, and finally got his maiden Test century.

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Talking about the phase when the 23-year-old was sidelined with injury, Shubman Gill revealed that he was putting ‘too much pressure’ upon himself.

“I was sitting there all that time wondering when I was going to hit some big-time runs. Actually, all I need is a start. Once I get that start [snaps fingers] I know that I’m ‘on’. At that time, during the rehab phase, I was desperate to get my first international hundred,” said Gill.

“Maybe I was trying too hard. I sat there and told myself, You’ve played enough innings, you’ve missed out once in Australia and you don’t want to miss out again. That’s when I realized I was putting too much pressure on myself,” he added.

The stars aligned after the IPL 2022 season when Shubman Gill lifted the trophy with Gujarat Titans, scored his first hundred against Zimbabwe and he has since established himself as a regular with the Indian team.

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“We won the IPL, I did well, and then I got more chances with the one-day team. I had a good six matches, and that’s when it clicked. Once I got my first hundred in Zimbabwe, I could feel it in me, that I’m going to go off now,” he added.

The young opener missed the opening couple of games of the ODI World Cup before making a comeback against Pakistan and he smashed a fifty against Bangladesh to announce his return.