New Delhi: In 2021, Shubman Gill had earned admirers courtesy his sparkling 91 runs that set the base for the Indian cricket team to chase down a massive target of 328 set by Australia at the Gabba. Three years on, Shubman is again in the news, but for all the wrong reasons.
Though the Indian top order came up short in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide and its troubles persisted through the Test drawn in Brisbane Wednesday, Shubman’s performance at the crucial number three position has been a cause for concern, especially in the tours to SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.
The right-hand batsman returned to the Indian team in Adelaide after missing the first Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due a fracture on the left thumb.
Although he looked comfortable at the crease, Shubman was unable to capitalise on his starts, scoring just 31 and 28 runs in the two innings. His struggles continued in Brisbane, the third of the series, where he was dismissed for a mere 1, raising concerns about his form and consistency.
Many former cricketers, ranging from Anil Kumble, Dinesh Karthik to Ricky Ponting, have spoken about the top order batsman’s technique and temperament. But, his childhood coach and former Indian cricketer Karsan Ghavri is confident about his ward’s potential to overcome his current struggles.
“The most important element is occupying the crease and adapting to the conditions, whether they are abroad or home,” Ghavri told ThePrint in a telephone interview.
Drawing comparison with Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ghavri spoke at length about how important it was to both survive and thrive in the hostile conditions abroad.
“Yashasvi occupying the crease and scoring that big 100 was the reason why India won the first test. Shubman, as a pure batter, should just focus on sticking in there and learn how to leave those balls and curtail his aggressive shots on every delivery. More determination is required,” he asserted
Shubman’s struggles extend beyond his recent performances, including the whitewash at home against New Zealand. Former cricketer and broadcaster Aakash Chopra highlighted on his YouTube channel that Gill has failed to register a score of 40 or more in his last 16 innings outside of Asia.
Since the 2020-21 Australia tour, Shubman has played eight Tests outside Asia, where he has struggled to make an impact. In 16 innings, he has managed to score 267 at an average of 17.80 over 16 innings, with his highest score being 36. Notably, he has failed to register even a half-century during this period.
A closer look at Shubman Gill’s statistics in various countries reveals a concerning trend. While he has scored 319 runs in 5 matches at an average of 39.87, his performances in England and South Africa have been underwhelming.
In England, Gill has struggled to cope with the swing conditions, managing a meagre 88 runs in 3 matches at a disappointing average of 14.66, with a highest score of just 28. Similarly, he has scored 74 runs in 2 matches at an average of 18.50 in South Africa. His highest score is 36.
Despite displaying flashes of brilliance, Gill has found it challenging to construct lengthy innings in these countries. Given his comfort in handling lengths and short pitched balls, the drop in application and ability to occupy the crease makes his inconsistent form all the more perplexing.
According to Ghavri, even the greatest cricketers such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid faced similar periods of struggle, where they had to reassess and refine their game.
“The class never goes down. The kind of skill and ability he (Gill) has, it’s only a matter of time, he just has to put up that one big partnership or individual score will get him going and back on the track,” the retired medium pace bowler said.
“He really wants to establish himself as a main batsman; he falls in that category and plans long-term to serve the country for, let’s say, the next 10 years. That’s his mentality for sure,” Ghavri said.
“I suggest Shubhman should reach out and seek guidance from a Dravid or a Gavaskar; he would be disturbed about his performances, and the guidance can help him reassess better. We have these Kohinoors in India that will be willing to help him out.”
Ghavri refused to be drawn into the debate over whether the impact of playing more limited-overs cricket, especially the Twenty20 format, contributed to Gill’s struggles.
“Irrespective of the format, you need to adapt to the away conditions and game situation. Play like required. There’s no limit in Test cricket, stay in the middle as long as you can and you want. If you stick for longer, it means you score more runs. He just has to stay in the middle more,” he said. “There are some problems he would need to fix, majorly his temperament and shot selection.”
Not that the strapping cricketer from Punjab is unaware of the challenges that the Indian batsmen and especially he himself faces on the cricket pitch.
“The pace at which games are played here, especially the Test matches, [it] is one of the most difficult things to be able to maintain that intensity throughout the course of five days. And more than anything else, it’s the mental intensity and mental fitness that is required here,” Shubman had told the media after India’s defeat in Adelaide. “The conditions are challenging, but there’s a period of from 30-35 over to the second new ball when it gets easier to bat. But again, the mental intensity, are you there mentally because the wickets are so fast.”
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne from 26 December, India captain Rohit Sharma backed Shubman saying that the top order batsman’s quality is known to all. “Talking about Gill, I mean, look, he is quality, we all know that. It’s just about backing that quality and making sure, you know, we give clear messaging to him and not, again, like Jaiswal, we don’t want to complicate too many things with him,” he said.
Sharma and Indian cricket fans will be hoping that the 25-year-old finds his ground when the visiting side take on the Aussies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The good news is that India previously overcame adversity to win the boxing day Test and level the series in 2020 after being skittled out for 36 in Adelaide. The MCG test also marked the debut of Shubman Gill, who impressed with scores of 45 and 35 against a full-strength Australian bowling attack of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon — the very same bowlers who had dismantled India in the previous match.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Gill is a spent force. He was a one trick pony.
The BCCI must start looking at substitutes.
As it is, Gill is more interested in making cringe-worthy Insta reels and dating actresses/models. His focus has shifted from cricket and it’s unlikely that he will be able to perform again.
Mr. Ghavri could not be more wrong in his advice.
The real solution lies in making more Instagram and TikTok reels. The more cringe-worthy the reels are the higher the chances of scoring a century on Australian pitches.
Also, partying hard with Bollywood actresses and models helps a lot in improving focus.