“Don’t think you can underestimate any international side” – Shubman Gill on the challenging of facing Bangladesh

India’s white-ball opener Shubman Gill believes they can’t underestimate any international side before the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The Tigers recently stunned Pakistan by 2-0 while playing away. The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led team won the opening Test by 10 wickets and then won the second game at Rawalpindi by six wickets.

Meanwhile, India has a potent record while playing in their home conditions but they wouldn’t want to be complacent against Bangladesh. Furthermore, Bangladesh is yet to beat India in the red-ball format.

On the other hand, Gill returned with scores of 25 and 21 while leading India A against India B in the Duleep trophy at Bengaluru.

Speaking to Jio Cinema, Gill said, “I don’t think you can underestimate any international side. The kind of cricket Bangladesh has played in the last couple of months, especially in Pakistan, has been impressive. Their fast bowlers and the way their middle-order batters have absorbed pressure shouldn’t be disregarded. So, I believe it will be an interesting and intriguing contest.”

Gill has scored 1492 runs in 25 Test matches at an average of 35.52, including four centuries.

The right-handed youngster from Punjab scored 452 runs in five Test matches against England at an average of 56.50 and finished as the second-highest run-getter of the series after Yashasvi Jaiswal and feels that series was a huge confidence booster for him.

“That was a big confidence boost for me, especially after losing the first Test match. Quite a few players were unavailable, so there was pressure on us to win the series.

“I had never played five Test matches before, so it was a good experience and exciting to feel that intensity. Even after getting breaks following two Test matches, we never dropped that intensity,” Gill added.

India will take on Bangladesh in the opening Test at Chennai on September 19.