'I don't care about what people are saying' - Shubman Gill on criticism over his batting

India’s tour of the West Indies came to a successful conclusion, but it was the ODI triumph that won over everyone’s hearts because the team was missing nearly all of its more experienced players, and a young squad went on to sweep the series. Shubman Gill was one player who stood out for the entirety of the ODI leg of the tour because of his consistently strong performances.

Gill has frequently found himself on the wrong end, with fans criticizing him for his strike-rate, despite his spectacular performance in the West Indies and many other times in the past. When Gill was questioned regarding the same, the youngster replied that he prefers to remain unbothered even though questions like these will always exist.

“I feel questions will always be raised, but I don’t really care about what people are saying as long as I’m able to contribute to my team’s success, and as long as I am doing what my team management and my captain expect of me,” the opening batter told Telegraph India in a recent interaction.

He returned to playing in white-ball international games after an extended absence of more than 18 months, and he was the driving force behind India‘s dominant performance in the three ODIs in the Caribbean. There were instances when skipper Shikhar Dhawan failed to score big, but Gill handled the pressure and did the task with ease.

It will also be important for me to keep backing up these performances: Gill

The 22-year-old batter, who amassed 205 runs at an average of 102.50 in the three games, ended up being the series’ top run-scorer. His performance was so strong that he nearly reached his first ODI century before being left stranded on 98 as India’s innings ended due to bad weather.

“I think it gives me kind of an edge in some way. But it will also be important for me to keep backing up these performances and keep being consistent, and keep scoring as many runs as possible for my team,” he said while talking about his performance in the recent series.

As a result of his impressive show, he was named in India’s squad that will be touring Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series starting August 18. This time again, Dhawan will be in charge of the team as the senior members have been given a rest due to a hectic Asia Cup schedule later this month.