Shubhman Gill’s consistency at the junior level has earned him the M.A. Chidambaram Trophy for the Best Under-16 cricketer for the second season in a row. After receiving the award in the 2013-14 season (734 runs at an average of 73.4 in seven games), he returned to dominate the circuit in the 2014-15 season as well. He amassed 1018 runs at a commendable average of 92.54 in seven matches as he led the Punjab Under-16s to a title win over Madhya Pradesh in the Vijay Merchant Trophy 2014-15. “I am very happy that I am getting the award again and now I want to perform equally well in the Under-19s as well,” Gill said while talking about receiving the prestigious award. His father’s move to shift base to Mohali so that the batsman can pursue his dream is reaping results. The youngster is diligently working to improve his game as he looks to continue to play consistently at the higher levels. “I mostly practice for four- five hours in a day. I cover all the aspects of the training. The long sessions make a difference while playing in a match. This is how I practice in the off-season too.” “During the session I practice all the shots. I start with under-arm and check my basics and see there are any mistakes. Then I play throw downs for back foot and front foot play and follow that by playing against spin,” he further explained. Speaking about the areas that he has been working on recently Gill said, “I worked on strengthening my footwork and my shot selections. I am working on giving myself time and not playing rash shots.” In the ongoing season, Gill is striving to make his mark at the Under-19 level. While he is yet to accumulate runs like he did at the U-16 level, Gill scored a match-winning 263 not out against Tamil Nadu earlier in the season in the Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19). Discussing the way he builds an innings, the Punjab batsman said, “I attack initially and then slow down in the middle; I pace my innings and change, gears so that makes a difference. When bowlers are bowling well, I try to slow down the game and try to test their patience so that they bowl a loose delivery. “Upon completing hundred, I play like I would if my score was zero and then do the same on reaching a double-hundred,” he added. Speaking about his methods in shorter formats, Gill said, “I try to take more singles, one can’t afford to have dot balls like you can in the multi-day format.” As he looks forward to making a mark at the next level, Gill said, “My family is very happy that I am winning the award again. They too hope that I do better at the U-19 and senior levels as well and receive awards there too. The dream is to play for India and hopefully I will get there.”