Asia Cup: 'Not facing Pakistani bowlers enough makes difference,' says Gill

Shubman Gill who found Pakistans pace trio too hot to handle during his painstaking 10 off 32 balls in the group league game admitted that not facing the Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Raufs often does make a difference during multination eventsThe Indian toporder batters have had issues with Afridis nipbackers and the awkward angles that he often creates and it has got everything to do with unfamiliarity even if you have watched thousands of his bowling videosWe dont play against Pakistan as often as we do against some other teams We all know that their bowling attack is quite good and when you dont play against such attacks often it makes a bit of difference in main tournaments Gill was frank in his admission that life has indeed been a bit difficult against the troika of speed merchantsAlso ReadIN PHOTOS King Kohlis top knocks against PakistanIndia get to play Pakistan only during the Asia Cup or at the ICC eventsGill said that he was also banking on the leftarm throwdown specialist Nuwan Seneviratne to dish out an improved show against Afridi and in general against Pakistan quicksDefinitely training has helped He Nuwan has been travelling with us for the last 78 years It is nice to have that variation We have that rightarm specialist Raghu the sidearm specialist Dayannd Garani and the leftarm specialist It does help in any conditions that you play added GillGill then explained why the Pakistan fast bowlers are making such an impact They are very different fast bowlers and they have their own specialities Shaheen gets the ball to swing a lot Naseem is all about pace and likes help from the wicket They present different challenges in different conditions said GillGill said that Indian batters will have to dominate unlike last time when the top order was blown away for 66 As openers we need to make a good start and dominate them from the beginning Gill said In that context Gill said his partnership with captain Rohit Sharma could be crucialHe Rohit is someone who likes to take on the bowlers more aerially and I like playing along the ground in the power play That combination works well for us We both are a bit different how we go about our shots and tackle the situations That makes it a bit difficult for opposition to contain us said GillWith his fast inswinging deliveries Afridi will be a big threat for India The leftarm pacer had evicted Rohit and Virat Kohli in the league match to rock Indias toporderHowever Gill denied that there was any extra pressure on the team just because they are playing Pakistan Though he admitted the whole atmosphere was different from playing other teams It was my first time against Pakistan in senior cricket Asia Cup league match The pressure is slightly different from other matchesBut the pressure will be there no matter what game you play whether it is against Afghanistan Netherlands or Pakistan We have the same level of nerves no matter what he addedGill also revealed that he has only admiration for Pakistan captain Babar AzamYou obviously look at him You have to see his videos to learn why hes doing so well He is a worldclass player and we also admire him a lot said GillWith agency inputs