Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Shubman Gill is under pressure in Tests and T20Is but is fit for ODIs at the moment. Sanjay Manjrekar also gave crucial advice to Shubman Gill to improve his batting in Test cricket.
Shubman Gill is part of the ongoing India vs England 1st Test at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. However, he again batted at one-down position rather than his regular position of opener. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma took the opening slot for the team in the match.
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Shubman Gill Is Under Pressure In Tests And T20Is
During a conversation on ESPN Cricinfo, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar analyzed Shubman Gill’s batting. According to Manjrekar, Shubman Gill is under pressure in Tests and T20Is but set for the ODI format at the moment.
“He is under pressure, not just in Test cricket but in T20 cricket as well. I think there is a crowd gathering around him, making his life a little difficult. In the 50-over format, I think he is set for the moment”, Manjrekar said.
Sanjay Manjrekar also highlighted that one needs a powerful defence to bat in Tests on Indian pitches. He also advised Shubman Gill to focus on his defence rather than attack to improve his batting in the red-ball format.
“In Test cricket, there is one imperative that you need, unless you are batting down at No. 6 or No. 7, but even then, you need it, especially with the kind of pitches India have had in the recent past at home, where you need to have a good defence”.
“If you can’t defend and if you are looking to attack your way out of trouble, that works in 50-over cricket and T20 cricket, but in Test cricket, you need to have a reasonably good defence, and that is what Shubman Gill should be focusing on,” said Manjrekar, who represented India in 34 Tests and 74 ODIs during his career.
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Shubman Gill struggled to come up with big knocks in the previous India vs South Africa Test series. In the ongoing 1st Test against England, the right-handed batter scored 14 runs across 43 on Day 1. He is unbeaten on the crease with fellow teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal unbeaten on 76.
England opted to bat first in the match. However, the visitors collapsed against Team India’s spin attack. They were bowled out for 246-10 on Day 1. Ben Stokes scored the most 70 runs for the team as the rest of the batsmen failed to even reach half-centuries.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja led the bowling attack for India, hunting 3 wickets each. Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah picked 2 wickets each. India lost only 1 wicket in the form of Rohit Sharma.