IPL 2021: "It was important to assess the wicket" - Shubman Gill after match-winning knock against SRH

Shubman Gill played a match-winning knock as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured two crucial points against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Dubai.

Despite KKR losing Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathi cheaply, Shubman Gill held the fort tight from one end in pursuit of 116 runs. The youngster stitched a 55-run stand alongside Nitish Rana to take the game deep.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Shubman Gill stressed the importance of taking the game deep on a slow wicket. Gill said:

"It was important to keep the wickets in hand, and when the balls and runs were closer then just take it easy. It was important to assess the wicket. It wasn't easy to hit the spinners on this wicket."

Although SRH bounced back with two quick wickets, Dinesh Karthik (18* off 12) ensured KKR went home safely with a late flourish.

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"I was targetting the shorter side" - Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill, who came into the game on the back of a couple of low scores, was desperate to hit form with the bat. The batter from Punjab revealed that he wanted to have the upper hand against the bowlers, and that approach eventually paid dividends.

"It wasn't easy to hit the spinners on this wicket. I was targeting the shorter side, and the leg-side was shorter than the off-side at one end. When I didn't have much runs under the belt, you don't want the opposition to gain the upper hand," Shubman Gill said.

"When you play on slower wickets, it's more important to play with the wrists and that comes naturally to me. I took on the extra pace (of Umran) today and it came off in this game, but in another game it might not," he added.

So far, Shubman Gill has amassed 296 runs from 13 matches at an average of 22.76, including a half-century. He will hope to continue his form as KKR play Rajasthan Royals in a must-win game on Thursday.