With Shubman Gill struggling to translate his One Day International (ODI) form in the shortest format of the game, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has backed an 'exciting young cricketer' to replace the Indian opener for the third and final T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand. Gill, who smashed a record-breaking ODI double-century against the Black Caps, has failed to fire for the hosts in the ongoing T20I series.
Gill perished for cheap (11 off 9 balls) in the low-scoring thriller between India and New Zealand at Lucknow on Sunday. Gill also had a forgetful outing against New Zealand in the 1st T20I as the Indian opener only managed to score 7 off 6 balls. Speaking on his YouTube channel about Gill's dip in form, former Pakistan cricketer Kaneria urged the Indian think tank to replace the Indian opener with Prithvi Shaw for the upcoming series decider between India and New Zealand.
“It’s the last game. You’ve seen how Shubman Gill plays. Prithvi Shaw is an exciting young cricketer. He is known for his attacking game. You can give him a chance in Shubman Gill’s place. Shaw has the flair. If he plays consistently, he can do wonders,” Kaneria said.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s the last game. You’ve seen how Shubman Gill plays. Prithvi Shaw is an exciting young cricketer. He is known for his attacking game. You can give him a chance in Shubman Gill’s place. Shaw has the flair. If he plays consistently, he can do wonders,” Kaneria said.
{{/usCountry}}Opener Shaw returned to the Indian side after smashing the second-highest first-class score by an Indian batter in the Ranji Trophy. However, Shaw didn’t feature in the first two matches of the New Zealand series. The Delhi Capitals (DC) star last played for India in July 2021.
Though Kaneria hailed Gill as a fantastic batter, the former Pakistan spinner and full-time cricket pundit feels the India batter has some room for improvement. “No doubt Shubman Gill is a fantastic batter, but he needs to look at the flaws in his batting. He needs to work on playing against spin bowlers. India have won, but there is a need for improvement. At times, there’ll be difficult conditions,” Kaneria added.