Shubman Gill is yet to score an ODI century in SENA countries.
Former India spinner Murali Kartik has stated that Shubman Gill needs to tweak his batting technique to perform consistently in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) nations.
Kartik's remarks came after Gill's quiet start to the ongoing tour of New Zealand, where he scored a scratchy 37 in the ODI series opener at Auckland followed by his first career golden duck in the second match at Wellington.
While Gill boasts a high overall ODI average (over 62 with 11 centuries), his numbers in SENA countries have been below-par—averaging 19 in Australia and 26.83 in New Zealand, with no centuries to show in these conditions yet.
The Indian captain is yet to play an ODI match in South Africa, where most of the World Cup matches will be held next year.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Kartik emphasized that Gill must adjust his footwork and soften his hands when playing the new ball against tall fast bowlers on seaming or bouncy tracks, pointing to Virat Kohli as a prime example of a batter who uses this method to thrive in overseas conditions.
“Sometimes with Shubman Gill, it is conditions-based, but he will have to tweak his technique, whether it is a bit of footwork, or a bit of softening his hands, you can see it with Virat and people who do well. It is never easy, you are up against a brand new ball, against tall bowlers in those conditions, and he will have to do it very quickly,” Kartik said.
In the same discussion, former India batter Ambati Rayudu noted that while Gill has evolved significantly since his 2019 debut tour, surface pace inconsistency in New Zealand presents a stiff challenge
“The Indian team has struggled against this bowling, it has not been very convincing. India have not outplayed New Zealand. When I saw Shubman Gill in 2019, he used to play with hard hands and was going after the ball. We all felt that it would be slightly tough to have that pattern, especially in these countries. But he has evolved into a proper match-winner, he has improved leaps and bounds from what we have seen him in the first tour. In this tour, the conditions have been really tough, to be very honest. The bounce has not been an issue for Shubman Gill, it is the inconsistency of the pace of the surface,” Rayudu remarked.
Shubman Gill will miss the fourth and fifth ODIs in Mount Maunganui (November 13 and November 15) as the BCCI has released him from the squad to prepare for the two-Test series starting November 19. Shreyas Iyer will stand in as captain for the final two matches.
India lead the five-ODI series 2-0 after winning the first two rain-marred games by five wickets and four runs, respectively. The third match was abandoned due to incessant rain in Hamilton.