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Shubman Gill has scored 60 runs from his three innings of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Shubman Gill averages 28,45 in Tests when playing away from home. (AP Photo)
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik says that Shubman Gill hasn’t been able to make technical adjustments to suit the overseas pitches and it reflects in his record. There’s a stark contrast in Gill’s home and away numbers – his Test average in India is 42.03 but it drops down to 28.45 when playing away from home.
Karthik thinks that playing lot of white-ball matches mean Gill has started pushing at ball rather than playing close to his body or using soft hands. In the ongoing Australia tour, the 25-year-old has 60 runs from three innings so far.
“I think Shubman Gill definitely has a slight technical error, which is pushing at the ball,” Karthik said on cricbuzz. “When you play a lot of white ball cricket, you tend to do that. Travis Head does that as well, but what he has found is the method of doing that, and I think that players like Shubman Gill are caught in the trap of the way they bat in India and the way they bat outside – which is, the moment you see the ball released from the bowler, your mind tells you that this is a full ball you need to go at it.”
Karthik explained how batters, on pace-friendly pitches, have to make necessary adjustments that involves leaving balls.
“Batsmen who travel abroad to places like Australia, England and South Africa tune themselves in practice when they see a fuller ball like that, especially against a new ball. a) They play with slightly soft hands or b) They try and focus on playing the ball as close to the body or leave. Shubman Gill is playing like he would play in India, where he sees the release, goes for the ball with hard hands. Now in Australia, sometimes, in places like the Gabba, playing off the front foot is a little difficult. So at the start of the innings, you have to tell yourself that, I have to leave,” Karthik said.
Gill has been India’s no. 3 for some time now and Karthik has criticised his shot selection.
“For a No.3 batsman who has been around for so long, Shubman Gill has played a very, very ordinary shot, there are no mincing words here. And let’s be honest here, that the Indian batting, as a group, have not fired here for some time now, and with every passing innings, they are putting pressure on themselves,” Karthik said.
