India treating Australia tour as 3-match series from Brisbane Test: Shubman Gill
Batting star Shubman Gill said India will look to start afresh in Brisbane, treating the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as a three-match series. India began the five-Test series with a commanding 295-run victory in Perth but suffered a crushing 10-wicket defeat in the second, pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
Speaking to the press on the eve of the third Test in Brisbane, Gill acknowledged that India is hurt by the loss in Adelaide but emphasised that the team is not carrying any baggage into the match. The No. 3 batter also highlighted the positive morale in the camp, sharing that the team enjoyed a lively dinner meeting on Thursday in Brisbane.
“The mood is very good in the camp. We had our team dinner only yesterday. We had a lot of fun during the dinner. Yes, the Adelaide Test did not go the way we wanted it to be. But, we are considering it as a three-match series. If we win this match, then in Melbourne and Sydney, we will have the upper hand,” Gill said.
Gill’s comments are reminiscent of how India approached the Border-Gavaksar Trophy in 2021. After the hammering in Adelaide where they were bowled out for 36, India treated the rest of the series as a three-match affair.
Hanuma Vihari, who was part of the historic triumph in 2020-21, had spoken about the mindset shift.
“That was the discussion we had in the team meeting. We decided to look at it as a 3-match series from thereon. ‘Let’s win the series. Let’s forget about the first Test, it’s a three-game series for us’. Now if you look at it, we won it 2-0. That was the positive thinking which we had in the dressing room,” he said.
NOSTALGIC RETURN TO GABBA
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill said Indian players, including himself and Rishabh Pant, felt nostalgic when returning to the Gabba.
Gill’s 91 and Pant’s 89 helped India chase down 328 and become the first visiting team in 33 years to win a Test in Brisbane, breaching the Gabba fortress.
“Definitely, very nostalgic when I came here. The whole team came and just while walking through the stadium, it felt very nostalgic. The wicket I think, we will get to know, once we play on it. I think it will be a good wicket to play on,” he added.
India and Australia will resume their battle on Saturday with the visitors banking on recent success to overturn the script in the series.
The fourth Test will be start on the Boxing Day in Melbourne while the New Year’s Test will be played in Sydney.
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