Hunger to win helped us bounce back: Shubman Gill

Harare, July 14

The hunger to bounce back and adaptive skills helped the Indian team pull itself up following the shocking loss in the series opener to win the remaining four matches against Zimbabwe, said skipper Shubman Gill here today.

India suffered an unexpected 13-run loss in the first game of the five-match series as they fell short of chasing a modest 115-run total on July 6. But the visitors quickly put the disappointment on the back-burner to win the series 4-1.

“I think, the hunger that we showed after losing the first match was fantastic to watch. When we came here, not everyone had a lot of hits in the nets. We weren’t really used to the conditions. The way we adapted (was great),” said Gill following India’s 42-run win in the fifth and final T20I.

Player of the Series Washington Sundar said the pace and bounce of the pitch here took the Indian batters by surprise initially, which cost them the first match, adding that the series win had given the side a lot of confidence going into the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

India will play a six-match away series against the Islanders from July 27, which includes three T20Is and an equal number of ODIs.

“Good to finish with a win. I felt after the first game that the condition were very similar to South Africa, with extra speed and extra bounce. Lots of takeaways, lots of learnings, a lot of confidence going into the Sri Lanka series,” said Sundar.

Young Riyan Parag (22 runs), who was involved in a 65-run partnership with Sanju Samson when the chips were down today, said the series opener made the team introspect its strategy. “After the first game everyone woke up, and it was a clinical performance. Enjoyed it to the max,” he said.