Shubman Gill made everyone sit up and take notice of his performance in the recent ODI series against New Zealand. The opener slammed a double ton in Hyderabad earlier this month, becoming the youngest cricketer to achieve this feat. However, the 23-year-old batter, who made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka at the start of the year, has failed to replicate his Test and ODI performances in the format.
In the shortest form of the game, Gill has managed to score a mere 76 runs in five encounters, at a strike rate of 128.81. His dismal run in T20Is has prompted former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir to express his opinion on Gill’s position in the team. Speaking to Star Sports after the second India vs New Zealand T20I, Gambhir warned that the opener has to improve his performance.
“I feel Shubman Gill has to get better against spin, on a spinning wicket. He had his struggles against Bangladesh as well. Yes, he has been fabulous in the 50-over format, got good wickets to bat on, with five fielders inside, But then, you’ve got to get better when the ball starts spinning, gripping and bouncing as well. He will get tested, not only against seam but spin as well,” Gambhir said. He also remarked that the 23-year-old had yet to find his feet in the T20 format.
“He still hasn’t found his feet in the T20 format, when it comes to playing international cricket,” the ex-India opener stated about Gill. “His (Gill’s) basic game suits the 50-over format. Someone like Prithvi Shaw, on the other hand, his instinctive game is made for T20 cricket. How quickly Gill learns and adapts to this format will decide whether he will be able to play all the three formats,” Gambhir added.
Prithvi Shaw, who is part of the T20I squad against the Black Caps, has only played one T20I till date, against Sri Lanka in 2021. In that match, the opener failed to open his account and was dismissed for a golden duck by Dushmantha Chameera.
Amid Shubman Gill’s under-par performance in the recent fixtures, speculation is rife on whether the team management will bring in Shaw in place of the opener for the third and final T20I against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
The decider between the two teams will take place at the Narendra Modi International Stadium on 1 February. After that, India will be gearing up for the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia, scheduled to start on 9 February. Shubman Gill is part of the squad for the first two fixtures.
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