Kolkata, Nov 13 (IANS) India skipper Shubman Gill admitted that he was ‘still trying to figure out how to balance’ playing across three formats as he is set to lead India in the Test series after featuring in the white-ball tour of Australia.

After their white-ball tour of Australia, India turned their attention to the all-format series against South Africa, which begins with the Test match on November 14 at Eden Gardens. Gill, a captain of the Test and ODI teams, is one of the few players to represent India across all three formats, and there has been considerable discussion about his workload.

Speaking about his workload during the pre-match press conference, Gill admitted, “I’m still trying to figure out how to balance playing across three formats. Since the Asia Cup, it’s been a packed schedule — playing back-to-back matches and constantly switching formats. I’m still learning what works best for me in terms of performance and consistency.”

He added, “The challenge is more mental than physical. Of course, there’s jet lag and travel fatigue, but physically I feel completely fine. It’s more about staying mentally sharp. It’s a good challenge, and also a great learning curve for me.

“Turning around in just 4–5 days, coming from a different country and shifting formats — that’s mentally challenging. The body needs to adapt, and playing Test cricket in India brings its own unique challenges. But as professional cricketers, how we respond to those challenges is what defines us.”

There has been a lot of talk about Gill’s workload, and India’s assistant Ryan Ten Doeschate had admitted earlier that it wasn’t easy, but said he’s confident in the players’ ability to adapt quickly between formats.

“It’s super challenging. You see less and fewer guys playing all three formats. Mentally, when you take a challenge like that you need a roadmap on how to go about things. Shubi (Shubman Gill) as an example has been very good,” Ten Doeschate said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Though South Africa haven’t won a Test in India since 2010, Gill is wary of the defending World Test Champions. While the hosts are coming off a series win against the West Indies at home, South Africa levelled the two-match series against Pakistan after a defeat in the first Test.

“These two Test matches are very important. To play the WTC final, we need to do well here. South Africa are a strong side – they’ve won the WTC- so it won’t be easy. We know there will be difficult moments, but as a team, we’ve shown that we can handle those situations well,” Gill said.

–IANS

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