The Indian team suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), which cost them a place in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC). A major part of the loss can be attributed to the poor batting performance of a star-studded batting line-up.

Among the flops was young India batsman Shubman Gill, who finished with scores of 13, 20, 1, 28 and 31. He has faced strong backlash from former cricketer and selector Kris Srikkanth after his lackluster performances in Australia.

After having a strong debut series in Australia in 2020/21, the dynamic right-hander has struggled overseas, averaging 17.64 in 18 innings. The 25-year-old has not crossed the 40-run mark even once during this period and endured a disappointing 2024/25 BGT campaign.

Chikka called Gill “overrated” and highlighted three players who should be given preference in the Test squad.

ALSO READ: What India’s best XI looks like for Champions Trophy 2025

Kris Srikkanth pleads for three stars over Shubman Gill in Test squad

Srikkanth went on to criticize the selectors for persistently backing Shubman Gill and questioning their reluctance to give similar opportunities to players like Suryakumar Yadav. He noted that Suryakumar was dropped after just one match against Australia in Nagpur and has since been confined to a white-ball role.

Srikkanth also urged the management to prioritize giving opportunities to players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan, who he believes are currently more deserving of a place in the Test team than Gill.

“Ruturaj Gaikwad, for example, has done wonderfully in first-class cricket. But they haven’t bothered to choose it. Meanwhile, someone like Sai Sudharsan has been lighting it up on ‘A’ tours. We must promote this type of talent. Instead, they are going around in circles choosing Gill,” Srikkanth added in a video on his YouTube channel.

For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.