Shubman Gill admits to taking sleeping pills, folding to 'Nervous 90s' curse in Australia

Shubman Gill made his Test debut with scores of 45 and 35* at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in December 2020. The cricketer celebrated the occasion with India’s win which also brought the four-match series to levelling terms. Remarkably, Gill played another match-winning knock the very next month as his attacking 91 on a tricky Day 5 pitch enabled India to clinch a stiff run-chase in the final few minutes of the series.

India vs Australia 4th Test 2021: Highlights from Shubman Gill’s 91, watch video

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India vs Australia 4th Test 2021: Shubman Gill admits to being nervous before Test debut

Shubman Gill recently interacted with Forbes India where he spoke in length about his successful trip to Australia. When asked about his mindset prior to making his Test debut, Gill said that he “really wanted to contribute” in his own way since he “wanted to turn things around” for his side. The 21-year-old also revealed that he did not wanted the series to be remembered for “the great Adelaide collapse”, where India’s star-studded batting line-up got folded out for 36 within an hour of Day 3.

Shubman Gill said that he felt nervous a night before he made his Test debut at the MCG. He admitted that he could not even sleep and had to resort to taking a sleeping pill instead. Gill stated that when he opened for India for the first time next evening, the “enormity of the occasion” sunk in as he was facing his first 10-12 deliveries.

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The prodigious batsman from Punjab also spoke about his mindset during his match-winning knock at The Gabba on January 19. Gill said that when he reached the 90s while batting alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, he started feeling nervous and his heart was “beating faster than usual”. He added that his plan was to call for drinks after that over, however, his innings was curtailed by Nathan Lyon on the same ball instead.

IPL 2021: Shubman Gill among KKR list of retained players 2021

Shubman Gill was among the 17 cricketers to be retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) season. Here is a look at the list of all 17 of KKR retentions ahead of the IPL 2021 auction.

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IPL 2021: KKR list of retained players 2021, watch video

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