Shubman Gill is looking to improve his batting performance in the shortest format of the game during the upcoming T20Is against Sri Lanka. Gill, India's new vice-captain in white-ball cricket, is expected to open in T20Is against Sri Lanka starting on July 27.
Speaking ahead of the series opener in Pallekele, Gill accepted his below-expectations performances in T20Is that cost him a place in India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. But the young batter made a strong comeback as he captained the Indian team to a 4-1 T20I series win over Zimbabwe.
"My performance in T20Is before the World Cup this year wasn't how I had expected it to be," Gill said ahead of the series opener against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. "Hopefully, going forward, in the upcoming cycle, I think we play 30-40 T20Is before the next T20 World Cup, I can improve my performance when it comes to batting, and also we can improve as a team."
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the T20Is, Gill has been the selector's first choice to open an innings alongside young Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill talked about the importance of having a right-left combination at the top and his building partnership with Jaiswal in T20Is.
"We really enjoy batting with each other. Especially the kind of shots we play, we kind of complement each other. Being a right-left combination, we have had good partnerships in whatever T20Is we have played before; two partnerships have been 150-plus [too]. So we have a great understanding and communication between us, and I have fun batting with him," Gill added.
The Indian cricket team is set to start a new chapter with Gautam Gambhir as their new head coach and Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal in leadership roles in T20Is. Rohit Sharma will return to lead the team in ODIs against Sri Lanka starting on August 2 in Colombo.
