Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif criticized young batsman Shubman Gill after his string of poor results in red-ball cricket. Mohammad Kaif claimed that Shubman Gill is more suited for white-ball cricket on flat tracks, highlighting technical flaws in his batting style.
Shubman Gill failed to make an impact in the first Test of the ongoing five-match series against England in Hyderabad. The right-handed batsman managed to score 23 runs in the two innings during the first match of the series, where the home team suffered a 28-run defeat.
Shubman Gill is a very talented batsman – Mohammad Kaif
In a conversation with Timesofindia.com, Mohammad Kaif acknowledged Shubman Gill as a talented batsman but urged him to hone his footwork. Kaif expressed confidence in the young batsman’s ability to make the necessary adjustments and perform well.
“Shubman Gill is a very talented batsman, there is no doubt about that, but his game is the white-ball, flat-wicket cricket that we find in limited overs internationals. But in Test cricket, you won’t get flat wickets, the ball will bounce, spin, so Gill has to work on his footwork and I am sure he will make the necessary adjustments and score runs again,” Kaif. saying.
The 24-year-old also struggled in the two-match Test series against South Africa away. The batsman managed to score only 74 runs in four innings in South Africa. However, he kept his place in the playing XI for the first Test against England.
The Punjab-born cricketer moved to the No. 3 spot in the batting order ahead of the West Indies tour last year. However, he struggled to score in his new role in the Test team. In total, in Tests, he scored 1,063 runs at an average of 29.52, including two centuries and four fifties.
Play according to the situation – Mohammad Kaif
Reflecting on India’s batting performances in the series opener, Mohammad Kaif emphasized the need for batsmen to convert good starts into centuries. He expressed confidence that coach Rahul Dravid would address this aspect with the team.
“Most of the Indian batsmen got off to a good start in the first innings, but for the temperament of Test cricket, you have to stay on the wicket and play according to the situation. I am sure head coach Rahul Dravid would have told them about it,” Kaif said.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja all reached 80 in the first innings for India, but none of them managed to convert their openings into a century. Jaiswal scored 80 runs off 74 deliveries, with 10 boundaries and three sixes, in his first Test in India.
Rahul, who batted at fourth in the absence of Virat Kohli, scored 86 runs but was dismissed for playing an aggressive shot. Meanwhile, Jadeja fell just 13 runs short of securing his fourth Test century. It is worth noting that both Rahul and Jadeja have been ruled out for the upcoming match.
The Rohit Sharma-led team is hoping to bag the next Test match, which will be played at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, starting from Friday, February 2.
Also Read: Mohammad Kaif pleads for Virat Kohli’s immediate return or else India could…