Shubman Gill fires back at Pat Cummins over short-ball plan ahead of Gabba Test

When India last played at the Gabba, records were shattered as Australia sustained its first-ever defeat at the venue in 32 years. The victory, famously known as the ‘Gabba Breach,’ always paints Rishabh Pant as the leader of the win, rightfully so. However, the breach witnessed elemental contributions from many players, one of them being the young Shubman Gill. Only 21 years old at the time, the batter hit a gritty 91-run knock in the final innings against the Aussies. Now a mainstay in the Indian batting order at the third spot, Gill expressed the nostalgia that hit him as he returned to the venue for the third Test of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy. Moreover, the youngster added to the thrill of the heated India vs Australia rivalry as he countered Australian captain Pat Cummins over his observations about the Indian batters.

Shubman Gill fires a retort at Pat Cummins ahead of Gabba Test

Shubman Gill, a key player in India’s Gabba breach back in 2021, returned to the iconic venue for the third Test of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy. The batter attended a press conference before the BGT Test gets underway on December 14 in Brisbane. Before providing key insights into India’s roadmap to tackle the Aussies, Gill talked about how taking the Gabba field again brings back sweet nostalgia from 2021, where India beat Australia after 32 years and claimed the four-match BGT series 2-1.

"Definitely very nostalgic when I came here," Gill said. "The whole team was coming and just walking to the stadium again after the 2021 win, felt very nostalgic," he added.

The batter further gave a fitting shot back to Pat Cummins, who had earlier commented on tackling the Indian batters. The Australian skipper suggested going for the short-ball plan, the one that worked in Adelaide with the pink ball. The seamer highlighted that the short-pitched deliveries worked especially well against the tailenders, and if things go haywire at the Gabba, Australia wouldn’t shy away from switching to short deliveries as their set Plan B.

"Potentially. (Short-pitched bowling) worked out in the Adelaide Test, so it's always in the back of your mind as a Plan B when things get uncomfortable. It worked in Adelaide, so I am sure we will give it a shot at some point this Test," said Cummins. "For the tailenders, it looked like a wicket was very likely."

Now, as Shubman Gill represented the Indian team at the press conference on the eve of the third BGT Test, the batter denied the impact Australia believes it had in Adelaide. Gill, who played his first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide, highlighted that, barring a sole pick in the top order, shorter deliveries didn’t ruffle India as much as Cummins is projecting ahead of the Gabba Test.

“As far as I know, just one batter apart from the tailenders has fallen to short balls in this series. Toh mujhe pata nahi kaunsi safalta ki wo baat kar rahe hai (I don't know what success he is talking about),” said Gill.

Despite the discussion over the plans, India put on a forgettable outing with the bat in Adelaide. Mitchell Starc tore through the batting order, with only Nitish Kumar Reddy offering some resistance in both innings. Now, with the Border Gavaskar Trophy poised at 1-1, the batters need to step up if India wants to clinch the lead. The Gabba is anticipated to host a bouncy wicket for the third Test, and the pacers are likely to have the last say in the proceedings of the contest.