In his first press conference of the tour, Shubman Gill termed qualifying for the World Test Championship as the "ultimate goal," a sentiment he maintained while preparing to leave the country. In between his two media interactions, the Indian captain saw his team register a comprehensive win in Galle and then settle for a draw in a fixture they were well positioned to win in Colombo. Although the series was won, the trophy secured, and his undefeated run as captain checked off crucial boxes, India left behind crucial WTC points needed to boost their win percentage.
As captain, he had his most challenging few days under the sun in Colombo when Sonal Dinusha and the Sri Lanka's tail frustrated the visitors and prevented them from getting the result they desperately wanted. There were moments he would helplessly stand and observe from the short-cover position, have an intense chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir when nothing worked and then even egg his teammates on when their shoulders started dropping. "It gets very frustrating," he said regarding the challenges, explaining the questions that follow. "Was follow-on the best decision, was it not? But then you have to go back in the moment and see, what can I do? Did I make the best decision in that moment? Yes, I did. Then you can't do anything about it. You have to keep trying your best, and I think we did that," added the Indian captain.
While they struggled to remove the Sri Lankan tail in both innings, Gill was not ready to pin the blame on any of his teammates and lauded their effort. "We tried all that we could, and at the end of the day, even from the players, you can expect them giving their 100%, their top efforts, and I don't think there was any lacking in intensity or the efforts that we put in," said Gill. Highlighting the volume of overs the spinners bowled on a surface which became easier to bat as the game progressed, Gill gave them 10/10 for effort and intent, and continued to focus on the ultimate goal - the World Test Championship. "The spinners bowled 50-60 overs on the trot for three days. Fielding for three days is not an easy task in these conditions with the heat. In terms of effort, I would say 10 out of 10 for the effort and the intent. A lot of learning, so many things won't always go as you plan, but as long as we still have a chance to qualify for the World Test Championship," added Gill.
India operated with in-out field positions for most of the match, offering significant protection against the sweep, especially when Sonal Dinusha was at the crease. While it did open up easy singles, Gill felt there couldn't have been a better plan as the slow turn off the surface meant bowled and LBW were the dismissals out of the equation. "The ball was spinning but the wickets were not in play. As a batsman, if you know that your bowlers do not have 2 modes of dismissal in play, then it becomes easier to bat. Unless you are playing shot and not looking to make a run, then it is difficult to take a wicket," said Gill. "They were sweeping, step out and you also have to have your close-in fielders for the catch. So there was a lot of in-and-out field and there was always a lefty and a righty batting. So it's especially on a wicket like this it's difficult to have a field on one side," added Gill on his field placements.
With the series won and positives accumulated, Gill asserted that they still have a good chance to qualify for the WTC final. The Indian captain is hopeful to do well in New Zealand and be in a better position by the time Australia come for the Border Gavaskar Trophy early next year. "I still think we've got a pretty good chance to qualify for the WTC. If we play the New Zealand series well and then hopefully, by the time the Australia series comes, we just have to win the series. If we're in a situation where we just have to win the series, I think we'll be in a good position to qualify for the WTC. A lot of solidity and a lot of confidence in our betting lineup, for sure. I always feel if you put up runs in test matches, three and a half, four sessions, you're always in the game.
"We've got bowlers that can make up 20 wickets. As long as we keep putting 350-400 runs consistently on the board, we'll always be in the game and looking at our batting performances, it's very pleasing to see that we are doing that," said Gill. There is still time before India start preparing for their next Test assignment. For now, the immediate focus will be on recovering after the grind in Galle and Colombo, and then hoping the best pool of players are available when the selectors assemble to pick squads for the New Zealand tour.
