Kevin Pietersen said that India coach Rahul Dravid should work with young batter Shubman Gill and give him confidence. This after the Punjab batter’s continuing struggles in Test cricket which continued on day 2 of the first Test between India and England.
Despite outstanding achievements in white-ball formats, his Test appearances have been far from convincing. Gill had an average of 32 into the Test series against England, falling short of expectations for a top-order Indian batsman.
Resuming his innings on day 2, Shubman Gill tried to play positively, but once Yashasvi Jaiswal fell in the first over itself, he went into his shell and finally was dismissed for 23 runs in 66 balls with 2 fours. He was dismissed by Hartley, as Gill tried to play an aggressive shot.
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen was clearly concerned by Gill's tactics, emphasizing the importance of rotating the strike in Test cricket. While admiring Gill's talent, Pietersen recommended that the young batter widen his repertoire to avoid such dismissals becoming routine.
Drawing from his own experience with Rahul Dravid, Pietersen provided insights for the team management to consider in Gill's development.
“He has somebody in the dressing room who changed my game: Rahul Dravid. I don't know if he will watch this broadcast, but go and spend time with Gill and do the same stuff he talked to me about. Get him to hit the ball on the off-side, practice picking the lengths better, and rotation of the strike. Do things that will help him become a better player,” Pietersen said during the lunch show on JioCinema.
“He's a quality player in Shubman Gill, and no, I'm not disappointed in how he got out. I'm disappointed that he has not got that ability yet (to rotate strike). But then, he's a kid. Give him that ability; give him that structure. If he rotates the strike and learns that from Rahul Dravid, and if the latter takes him under his wings, the world is his,” said Pietersen further.
Shubman Gill needs to get big innings to stay in contention for the Indian playing XI, given the fight for spots in the Indian team.
