Indian skipper Shubman Gill, who scored his second ODI double century in the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati on Wednesday, September 30, has stated that there was a lot of pressure on Indian batters at the halfway mark after the visitors posted 405/7 in the first innings.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after winning the player of the match award, Gill was elated with the overall team’s all-round performance and expressed his happiness at staying till the end at the crease and finishing the game.
“At the halfway mark, 400 on the board, there was a bit of pressure on us. Never, no matter how good the wicket is, no matter how small the ground is, chasing 400 is never easy. So very pleased with the performance and very happy that I was able to stay till the end and finish the game for the team,” Gill said after the game.
Further, Gill also delved into the details of his mindset in the 406-run chase. He went on to add that at about the 25th mark, India looked in a good space with the visitors under extreme pressure.
“Honestly, it’s just about playing, I break the game into small parts. First, we had a target in the powerplay that if we get around 75-80 runs without losing any wicket, that would be a good start. Initially, the ball might do a bit with the new ball. Once the ball gets old, the wicket would get much better to bat on, and one side was very short, so we thought we’re going to target that side whenever the fast bowlers come on. And at about 25 overs, I thought if we are around 200-210, we’ll be in a good space. But I think we were around 230-240, and I think after the powerplay, the pressure never really was on us. It was more on them, and we didn’t lose any wickets up until halfway through our innings, so that was a great bonus for us,” he added.
Delving into the details of the game, West Indies was tasked with batting first, and they posted a daunting total of 405/7 in 50 overs. John Campbell (101), Shai Hope (104) and Amir Jangoo (114) were the top scorers.
In the second innings, India sealed the deal in 43.3 overs with eight wickets in hand. Rohit Sharma (101) and Shubman Gill (223*) were the wreckers-in-chief as India sealed the series 2-0 with one more game left.
