Shubman Gill earned the wrath of fans for getting dismissed cheaply once again. Ever since his move to number three position the Test form of the 24-year-old has suffered. On Friday, the youngster was out for 23 runs after facing 66 balls.
Tom Hartley had Shubman Gill caught by Ben Duckett to claim his first Test wicket. Earlier in the day Joe Root had got the big wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 80. England got the big wicket in the very first over of the day.
KL Rahul batting at number four in Virat Kohli’s absence is currently batting well. The 31-year-old has shown great intent and scored runs at a fair clip. Rohit Sharma will want his side to take a sizeable lead to put pressure on England.
Shubman Gill’s failure puts him under pressure
The Indian selectors dropped Cheteshwar Pujara in favour of Shubman Gill due to his strike rate. Since the time Gill has been pushed to the number three spot, he has struggled to score runs. In the 7 innings that he has batted at number three, Shubman Gill has scored 142 runs. What makes the stats even more alarming is that Gill hasn’t been able to score a fifty. With a best of 36 against South Africa in Cape Town the experiment is failing India.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been in good run-scoring form during the ongoing domestic season. The veteran batter has just turned 36 and will be crucial for India’s chance for the next few years. Towards the end of 2024, India is set to tour Australia for a five-match series. The likes of Pujara and Rahane will come into the equation with two successful tours under their belt. India’s selectors now have to take a call with four games left in the series.
Dinesh Karthik while speaking to a source said, “You can see pressure has gone to Shubman Gill. He knows if he fails a couple of times, his career, for the moment will be on the line. So, you could see that reluctance.” The next game of the series is set to be played in Visakhapatnam and it will be a huge test. Young Shubman Gill knows that he needs to score runs otherwise he could lose his spot in the team.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
Prince Gill yahan bhi na chala????#INDvsENG
— Sardarhashim (@Sardarhashim12) January 26, 2024
Gill failing doesn't concern me cause i didn't have expectations in first place
— Pricviz (@Pric_viz_) January 26, 2024
Gill test avg 30 ???????
— S. (@KOHLIdeGOAT) January 26, 2024
As gill failing and kl performing
It's easy for the management whom to drop as soon as VK is available.
— Avinash (@avieeee__) January 26, 2024
I think it's a good time to bench Gill for a few matches. He is not performing in test matches.
— Amrit (@stylishamrit) January 26, 2024
Gill deserves to be dropped from tests.
— DSK (@ATCO_DSK) January 26, 2024
Shubman Gill dismissed for 23.
— shoaib (@BoltBatsman) January 26, 2024
