‘Shubman Gill hasn’t scored for a long time. India should be concerned': Ex-pacer's warning for Rohit before Asia Cup

Gill's sudden loss of form at a time when crucial tournaments like the Asia Cup and World Cup are knocking on the doors has got former India cricketers worried.

After the impeccable highs of last year which carried on till IPL 2023, Shubman Gill has hit his first major roadblock at the highest level. The talented right-handed batter who has been pitted as an all-format cricketer for India, is going through a dry patch. Gill, who ended up as the Orange Cap winner for scoring 890 runs in 17 matches in IPL, has only managed 76 runs in three Tests since then. In ODIs, he has notched up 126 runs in three matches and in three T20Is, he could gather a meagre 16 runs. Apart from the 85 in the third ODI against the West Indies in Tarouba, Gill has nothing to show for in the 11 innings he has played across formats after the IPL.

India's Shubman Gill walks off the field after being caught (AP)

Gill's sudden loss of form at a time when crucial tournaments like the Asia Cup and World Cup are knocking on the doors has got former India cricketers worried. Did captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee make a mistake by all but confirming Gill's spot in all three formats? Will it be fair to keep someone like Ishan Kishan, who has hit a purple patch around the same time, out of India's Asia Cup and World Cup XIs to accommodate an out-of-form, Gill? The questions may seem harsh, especially against a player of Gill's quality. At 23, his is India's youngest to complete centuries in all formats and is definitely the one for the future. But shouldn't his loss of form give headaches to the Indian team management?

Former India pacer RP Singh feels so. “I think the Indian team might be concerned about Shubman Gill already because he hasn't managed to score big for quite a long time. He has not done well against the left-arm spinners on a few occasions, too," Singh said on Jio Cinema.

The former left-arm pacer agreed that the pitches in the Caribbean islands were not ideal for a free-flowing batter like Gill but he was to remind that international cricket is supposed to throw these challenges to batters. "The pitches are a bit challenging, no doubt, but if you’re playing at the international level, you'll encounter different types of surfaces. It’s not like Indian pitches will always be the same, allowing you to play big shots through the line. But, I feel the Indian team has decided that Shubman (Gill) will be opening the innings with Rohit Sharma in future," he added.

‘Shubman Gill is a quality player, he will figure it out’

Another former India Test opener, Abhinav Mukund said India will be concerned about Gill but backed him to fight back and start scoring sooner rather than later. “India should be a bit concerned about Shubman Gill’s form in this series. But that being said, he is a quality player, and I am sure he will figure it out. I feel he is getting into too much of a shell and then playing an attacking shot and getting dismissed. Unfortunately for Shubman, he hasn’t got the big score but there is not too much worry about it as far as I am concerned, because we have seen in the IPL how he is able to progress and score big hundreds and be the anchor that India needs at the top of the order. That’s exactly what I would want from him. Take a bit more time, it’s fine and be the senior partner in that top order. I am sure Shubman will fire.”

With the series on the line, do India need to do anything differently from what they did in the previous match? Singh said: “The change should primarily be in the batting approach because batting is a crucial aspect for us. Along with that, seven batters are playing, and when the top four batsmen perform effectively, if one of them stays until the 18th-19th over, India will comfortably win the match. Moreover, the pitch at Florida is also favourable for batting.”