Indian skipper Shubman Gill has urged the batters to step up and take greater responsibility as India prepare to face England in the second Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday, following their surprising five-wicket loss in the opening Test. During the first Test, India’s lower-order batters failed to capitalise on powerful starts provided by the top-order batters, leading to India’s collapse early on. Gill admitted the issue and stated that there have been discussions surrounding the batting woes.
"Definitely, It's been one of the things that we always talk about, especially with our batting depth… the lower order sometimes isn't able to contribute as much as the other teams,” Gill said during the press conference.
"Having said that, you can also look at the other side as well. I was batting on 147, and the way I got out, maybe I could have scored 50 more in partnership with Rishabh. If you get a good ball and you get out, that's fine, but once you are set and you know that you don't really have that much depth in your batting order, maybe the top order could take a little bit more responsibility and bat the opposition completely out of the game."
"So I think these are different perspectives to look at the game, but definitely your lower order – when your last five or six don't contribute as much, then it becomes easier for the opposition to come back in the game."
Speaking on his learnings from the Test, Gill asserted he could've batted a bit longer with Rishabh Pant.
"When we were batting, like I said, I felt I could have, now looking back at it… the kind of shot I played, I felt I could have batted a little bit more, added maybe a 50-run partnership with Rishabh. That was my learning from when I was batting," Gill said.
"When we were bowling, there were learnings, like once the ball is getting old and it's getting soft, there isn't much happening. So how do you contain? How do you control the run flow, especially with the way they bat? Maybe having an extra spinner might help contain that run flow, especially in the third or in the fourth innings."