Shubman Gill has been one of the most exciting batsmen to look out for India ahead of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gill, who is currently No. 3 in India's Test batting rankings, has not been at his best so far in this series.
Having been the number 3 batsman himself for years, veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara knows what it takes to be successful in that role. Pujara recently spoke about Gill's mistakes in this series and what needs to be done to score big in the remaining Tests.
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Cheteshwar Pujara criticizes Shubman Gill for constant failures
While talking to ESPN Cricinfo, Cheteshwar Pujara spoke about Shubman Gill's struggles in this series. Pujara feels that Gill's hard hands and lack of footwork are working against him and he needs to improve on that end.
“He (Shubman Gill) has tough hands. He needs to work a bit more on his footwork as well. Most of the time during this series, we saw him waiting for the short deliveries rather than going for the ball.” Pujara said.
Pujara also mentioned that Gill needs to be selective with his shots as playing too many shots leads to his dismissal. He advised the youngster to leave a few balls out and be patient.
“There are some shots he's played that look really nice, but at the same time, he's got to be a little bit more selective with the type of shots he plays, especially when he's driving. He came out driving the ball. which was off stump. So, he has to leave some balls and he has to be patient,” he added.
'Heavy hands' – Pujara why Gill doesn't make big runs #Party Day #AUSWIND pic.twitter.com/8CVIrqCcos
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 22, 2024
Cheteshwar Pujara asks Shubman Gill to be 'wise'
Breaking the game plan further, Cheteshwar Pujara asked Shubman Gill to play on the merit of the ball rather than going the ultra-aggressive route. Pujara demanded smart batting from the 25-year-old and bowled spells.
“Look, I know he has an aggressive game. But (at the top of) the order, sometimes you just have to look at the ball, try to play on the merit of the ball, rather than having that extra positive mindset where you want to play more shots rather than looking at the ball and then you try to play accordingly,” Pujara explained.
“It can't be narrowed down too much, but at the same time you have to be smart. You have to know that when the ball goes a little bit, you have to find ways to deal with those conditions and spells. If he can see through that, maybe , once established, can score big,” he concluded.
Shubman Gill's numbers in BGT 2024-25
Shubman Gill missed the first Test of the series due to injury but played the next two Tests. He has scored just 60 runs in two Tests so far, one for 20. From his 91 in India's last tour of Australia at the Gabba, Gill has struggled in overseas conditions.
Shubman Gill replaced Cheteshwar Pujara as India's No.3 after the latter was dropped due to poor form. Gill was given a good run at the position and was excellent in the home tests. However, his record abroad has not been great which he will be looking to improve.