Shubman Gill was tipped to be the next big thing as soon as he made his Test debut against Australia in 2020. After a dream debut, Shubman Gill was handed the chance to play in the crucial Test against England as well. However, the 21-year-old has failed miserably in the Indian conditions against a strong English bowling attack.
IND vs ENG: It has been a difficult series for Gill
Shubman Gill continued his poor form in the fourth Test in the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahemdabad as well. Axar Patel-led Indian bowling attack halted England for a decent total of 205 runs in the first innings. Local boy Axar Patel bagged 4 wickets whereas Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammad Siraj had three and two wickets to their name respectively. The total of 205 runs seemed like a cakewalk for the Indians to set a heavy lead upon. However, the hosts had a dreadful start to their innings with opener Shubman Gill getting out for a three-ball duck.
English pacer James Anderson got rid of Gill with a beauty. This was the fifth consecutive innings in which Gill has failed to leave a mark. Except for his half-century in the second innings of the first Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the 21-year-old has even struggled to cross a 20+ total. Gill has set-up a total of 0, 14, 11, 15*, and 0 across the last five innings.
IND vs ENG: VVS Laxman on Shubman Gill form
India’s legendary Test batsman VVS Laxman feels that Shubman Gill needs to work hard on his technique if he wishes to improve as a Test batsman. Laxman added that getting out for a duck on a flat surface is unacceptable. Laxman also reminded Gill that players like Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are waiting in a line to replace him in the starting XI.
“Definitely (he needs to work against the incoming deliveries)… especially on a wicket like this which is a flat one compared to the previous pitches in Chennai and Ahmedabad,” Laxman said in the post-match show on Star Sports.
“He’s got a little bit of a technical issue. You can see his head is falling over, his right leg is coming across just to over-compensate. I just felt once he got started, he did not convert them into big scores and now the pressure will be on him, you also have to remember you’ve got KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal waiting for their opportunities,” Laxman added.
