Gujarat Titans' (GT) Shubman Gill got out for a 3-ball duck in their opening match of IPL 2022 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
This led to former India batter Virender Sehwag analyzing the Punjab batter's performance in the T20 format.
Gill recently stated that he had learned some 'cheeky shots,' to which Sehwag responded that a batter of such talent like Gill does not need to add anything new to his arsenal. Sehwag emphasized Gill's batting approach and suggested ways for the young opener to enhance his game.
"I think he is a better ODI player. Because in T20 cricket, those players succeed who can hit boundaries at will inside the Powerplay. That is what he needs to work on. He has given statements and said that I have learnt some cheeky shots, but with his batting, he does not need to play cheeky shots. Even if he plays normal cricket, he can give a better start," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag gave instances of some of Indian cricket's and the IPL's best openers, describing how they were able to thrive without trying too hard and raise their strike rate just by spending time at the crease.
"But he should not forget that when T20 cricket comes around, he either plays too fast or too slow. Last year, he had a strike rate of 120 and we thought that he should increase it. This year, I hope he does not start at 150 and goes off track. Strike rate can be improved while playing normally which Badoni and Hooda showed," added Sehwag.
"But Gill needs to get there. He scores 25-30 runs and gets out. Strike rate will increase once you reach 60, 70 or 80. That is when you can play freely. Did Sachin Tendulkar or I or Gautam Gambhir as openers play those cheeky shots. I don’t think so. You can score runs before being cheeky and score quickly."
