Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Shubman Gill’s slow batting approach against England in the first innings of the first Test match worked against him. The young batter scored only 23 runs off 66 deliveries with two boundaries before being dismissed by debutant spinner Tom Hartley on Day 2.
Shubman Gill’s slow batting approach has been a cause of concern for his fans and critics alike. He needs to work on his form and technique to establish himself as a reliable batter for the Indian cricket team.
Speaking on Espncricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar noted that Shubman Gill’s decision to bat slower than usual worked against him in the game. Gill attempted to play shots to break out of his defensive mode, which resulted in his dismissal. Gill’s strike rate was one of the slowest for Team India in the first Test, which was 34.84.
“Shubman Gill’s decision to bat slower than the need of the hour went against him. You’ve to look at the way he got out. You got the impression when he played the shot that he was trying to break the shackles somewhat, trying to hit over the infield. It was a bit of a grind for Shubman Gill,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Shubman Gill has been struggling with his form in red-ball cricket since the 2023 World Test Championship final, averaging under 30. He has managed to score only 74 runs in four innings against South Africa in India’s two-match series, and his poor performance continued against England as he went too defensive in a home game. With each setback, the pressure on Gill to establish himself at No.3 grows significantly.
This Is Something That I’m Sure Shubman Gill Will Start Working On – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Shubman Gill needs to improve his backfoot play, as he tends to defend with a hard bat. Manjrekar believes that Gill can learn a lot from Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, who is a master at the No.3 spot for the Indian team. Gill, who hails from Punjab, has struggled to perform consistently across all formats of the game since the ODI World Cup 2023.
“We’ve been talking a lot about backfoot play on turning pitches against spinners and when you look at the backfoot play of Gill, you’ll see that there’s hardly any. He’s only trying to defend with a pretty rigid bat instead of trying to manoeuvre it. This is something that I’m sure Gill will start working on. No better person than Rahul Dravid to be there with him to just encourage him to play more of the backfoot,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.
Gill’s performance in away Tests, including the World Test Championship final, against West Indies and South Africa, has been below par. He has been India’s No. 3 batsman since last year’s tour of the West Indies and will need to return to form in test cricket, as his place in the team is under scrutiny, with Rajat Patidar waiting for his opportunity at the highest level.
