IND vs NZ, 3rd Test: ‘One of the better knocks I’ve played,’ says Gill after missing out on century

He may have missed his sixth Test hundred by 10 runs, but Shubman Gill – who has sealed the debate over his new role at No. 3 this year – termed his 90 on a tricky track as one the better knocks of his career.

“It’s one of the better knocks I have played in Test cricket. Leading up to this Test match, it was all about me working on the areas I have worked on before,” Gill said on Saturday.

“In the England series, I was batting at my best against spinners, so just to be able to go back into that mindset and what my positions were while playing spinners then. That’s what I was trying to replicate before this match.”

Over the years, Gill seldom misses a practice session. He is a regular in the nets, hitting hundreds of balls, even on an optional training day. Thanks to a sprained neck that forced him to miss the Bengaluru Test, his preparation for the series was affected.

“I didn’t get that much time in the nets before the Pune Test match. I got two net sessions. I like to have long practice sessions so that I feel confident about it. The conversation with the coach was just having more repetitions on what I think is the best idea for me to be able to play spin,” he said.

With the match nicely set up for a close finish, Gill stressed that Sunday could be a critical day for India’s Test squad, not only for avoiding a historic whitewash at home but also for holding it in good stead ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

“Definitely very critical,” he said about Sunday’s action. “Each and every match that we play is going to determine if we are going to make it into the World Test Championship, so every match that we play, we are going to come with our full intensity and play it as best as we can.”