Shubman Gill is one of the brightest stars in Indian cricket and has shown his talent across formats. Starting as an opener in Test cricket in 2021, Shubman Gill has gradually moved to the no.3 spot, vacated by Cheteshwar Pujara.
Speaking of the top order, barring KL Rahul, none of the top batters in the team managed to withstand Australian bowlers. Yashasvi Jaiswal had struggled against Mitchell Starc after his sublime 161 in the Perth Test.
While Gill has been excellent at home at no.3, his record outside Asia begs discussion. Even in the ongoing BGT 2024 Test series in Australia, Gill’s scores have been 31, 28, and 1 in the two Tests he played. The Punjab batter missed the first Test after suffering a thumb injury in Perth.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra raised serious questions about Gill's credentials. The former India opener shared some cold facts about Shubman Gill and his issues in overseas Tests.
"We will have to talk about Shubman Gill. It's been 16 innings where you haven't crossed 40 outside Asia. You have been dismissed for single digits or early double digits many times. If your scores are like this and you bat at No. 3 for Team India in Test cricket, it's a problem, and it will be discussed as well," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"He was looking good in the last match. The problem is not with Gill alone. It's a symptomatic problem of the entire playing style. Yashasvi Jaiswal drove the first ball hard. He might be unlucky that his shot found a fielder on the second ball, but the first ball could have also gone to gully's hand," he observed.
Gill fell victim to the cover-drive lure, which numerous Australian pacers have tried to catch Indian batters in the series. Chopra wants India's great batter to improve his management of this specific hit.
"Shubman Gill came and played a booming drive. When it comes off, it looks good, but there are great chances of it going behind the wickets. You are so used to throwing your hands that you don't wish to stop," he asserted.
Gill will have another chance to redeem himself when India faces Australia in the 4th Test in Melbourne on December 26.
