Former Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag made shocking comments on the poor form of Gujarat Titans (GT) batsman Shubman Gill in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Virender Sehwag stated that Shubman Gill is lucky to be included in the reserve list of the Indian team for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Shubman Gill has been going through a rough patch with the bat in the ongoing tournament. Gill has scored 322 runs in 11 games at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 137.61, including two half-centuries. The young batsman last scored his half-century against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 10.
The GT skipper failed to make the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC tournament. However, Gill was included in the four-member reserve list along with Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed. Gill has scored 335 runs in 14 innings at an average of 25.77 and a strike rate of 147.58.
Shubman Gill should not let go of his place – Virender Sehwag
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag stated that KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad should be in the T20 World Cup reserves. Sehwag advised Gill to take advantage of the opportunities and concentrate on scoring runs with a good pace attack.
“I think he is lucky that his name is in the T20 World Cup reserves. KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are not even in that. That is a good point and he should be motivated by that. Next time, he should not lose his place not once. “He has a chance. He needs to focus on scoring runs with a good strike rate so he doesn’t get replaced.” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
The 24-year-old scored just two runs in seven deliveries in the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 4. The Titans were bowled out for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. The hosts chased down the target with four wickets and 38 deliveries to spare.
They never gave a reason to be abandoned – Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag highlighted how Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman delivered consistent performances. Sehwag urged Gill to focus on improving his skills and scoring big runs consistently to secure his place in the team.
“In my time, we had Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman. No matter how many runs the other guys scored, these guys didn’t come out because they never stopped scoring runs. How will you eliminate them if they keep scoring runs? They never gave a reason for being abandoned. This is what Shubman Gill has to learn. Once he returns to the Indian team and plays regularly after the World Cup, he should not let that opportunity arise again. Improve his skills and get big scores, because big scores will eventually save him.” Sehwag further said.
Shubman Gill will next be seen in action when Gujarat Titans take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, May 10. The Ahmedabad-based team is currently ninth in the table, having secured four wins in 11 matches.
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