Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian opener and a legendary batsman has reckoned that young opener Shubman Gill was struggling to score because of the pressure of expectations. He said that there will be failures and Shubman Gill will have to learn from them.
Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar has reckoned that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Shubman Gill struggled in IPL 2021 because of the pressure of expectations.
Sunil Gavaskar: Shubman Gill Failed Due To Pressure Of Expectations
Shubman Gill scored 440 runs in 14 matches at an average of 33.84 in IPL 2020 but in the 14th edition, he struggled to score in all the 7 matches KKR played before the postponement of the tournament in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. 71-year-old Sunil Gavaskar said that Shubman Gill is “just a 21-year-old kid” and that he should just relax and learn from the failures. Shubman Gill scored only 132 runs averaging 18.85 in 7 games before IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely.
“I think what I feel about Shubman Gill is that suddenly, the pressure of expectation is getting to him. Before this, it was different. He was just a young promising newcomer, but now with the performances in Australia, the expectation is that he is going to score, and maybe that pressure of expectation is weighing him down,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Shubman Gill was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 and turned in useful contributions for them in his debut season and next 2 seasons- 2019 and 2020 averaging in excess of 30 each time. He made his ODI debut for India in New Zealand in 2019, made his Test debut in Australia in 2020, and is touted for big things in the future.
Sunil Gavaskar: Shubman Gill Needs To Relax, Learn From Failures And Play Freely
In three Tests in Australia, he scored 259 runs at a brilliant average of 51.80 with two half-centuries besides his name. Shubman Gill’s brilliant innings of 91 were instrumental in Team India ending Australia’s 32-year unbeaten streak at the Gabba, Brisbane.
The 21-year-old Punjab batsman has recorded scores of 29, 50, 0, 14, 11, 15*, and 0 in the next England Test series, managing only 119 runs averaging a mere 19.83 in 4 Tests.
“He just needs to relax. He is just a 21-year-old kid. There will be failures and he has to learn from those failures. He’s just got to open and play freely, without worrying about expectations. The runs will come if he plays his natural game. Trying to play across the line and trying to score off every delivery because of the pressure of expectation, he’s actually getting himself out,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
Shubman Gill is part of India’s 20-man squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and 5-match Test series against and in England. The Punjab-born cricketer is expected to open the innings with Rohit Sharma, ahead of Mayank Agarwal. So far, the youngster has scored 3 fifties in 7 Test matches.