In the ongoing first Test between India and England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, standout performances have been seen from batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. However, Shubman Gill, the recent recipient of the Polly Umrigar Award (BCCI’s Cricketer Of The Year award in 2023), faced a setback as he could only manage 23 runs off 66 balls before being dismissed by debutant Tom Hartley.
Starting the second day with an overnight score of 14, Shubman Gill attempted to swat Tom Hartley but ended up playing the shot into the hands of Ben Duckett at mid-wicket. Gill’s struggle to find form in red-ball cricket continues, with only one century in the longest format, achieved last year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Sunil Gavaskar Slammed Shubman Gill After He Failed Yet Again
Meanwhile, former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, who was on commentary during the second day’s play, criticized the shot attempted by Shubman Gill. Gavaskar expressed disappointment, stating that while it would be understandable if Gill was trying to play an aggressive shot, the actual execution was poor. He highlighted that Gill had done the hard work to get set but then played a shot that fell short of expectations. Gavaskar said:
“What kind of a shot was he looking to play? One can understand if he was looking to play it in the air but it was just a badly executed on-drive. He did all the hard work and then played a shot like that,”
Shubman Gill has faced a dip in form since the ODI World Cup 2023, following a remarkable first half of the year. The 24-year-old was the top run-scorer in the ODI format for the year, achieving notable feats such as becoming the youngest cricketer to score an ODI double century and securing the highest run tally in IPL 2023. However, his form witnessed inconsistency and criticism after the World Cup.
Shubman Gill in his Last 8 Test Innings:
6(11)
10(12)
29*(37)
2(12)
26(37)
36(55)
10(11)
23(66) – TodayGill is not a test material and with these stats he don’t deserves to play test cricket anymore, Rajat Patidar should replace him in next gamepic.twitter.com/sEEsegG0HS
— Gaurav (@viratian_83) January 26, 2024
Talking about the ongoing Test in Hyderabad, England batted first and scored 246 in their first innings. Indian spinners, led by Jadeja and Ashwin, took three wickets each. Ben Stokes shone with a 70-run knock. India, in response, is leading, with standout performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja, who also took three wickets. KL Rahul scored 86, and Jaiswal made a quickfire 80.
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