'Shubman Gill will struggle like anyone…’: Chappell names Australia pacers who'll ‘trouble’ India opener in WTC final
Chappell said Gill will have trouble coping with the extra bounce and pace if the Australian pacers hit the right areas at The Oval in the WTC final.
Legendary Australia cricketer Greg Chappell identified a chink in Shubman Gill's armour ahead of the all-important India vs Australia World Test Championship final at The Oval starting on June 7. Gill, who has achieved a great deal of success in all formats in the last six or seven months, is set to open the batting for India with captain Rohit Sharma in the WTC final.
Chappell said Gill will have trouble coping with the extra bounce and pace if the Australian pacers hit the right areas at The Oval as Gill has some movements which make him susceptible.
"I don't wanna go into too much detail but I'm sure the Australians must have seen a couple of things that I have seen. There are little things that Shubman does a few things early in his innings that make him vulnerable to that length around off stump and if the ball bounces a little bit extra, he will susceptible to nicking off behind the wicket. But he's a very good player. If they don't bowl, he will punish them," he said on Backstage with Boria.
Chappell names Australian bowlers who can trouble Gill in WTC final
Chappell, who is also a former India head coach, said Australia pacer Mitchell Starc can trouble Gill with his extra pace and so can a fit Josh Hazlewood with his extra bounce.
"Gill has been to England before. He will struggle like anyone in English conditions if the Australians bowl well. The bowlers who will trouble him most are the ones who get that extra pace like Mitchell Starc. That can worry anyone. The extra pace gets good players out. The extra bit of bounce also gets good players out and I think if Hazlewood is fit to play then he can be a problem for Shubman. If Hazlewood doesn't play then Boland will most likely play and he's another bowler who can trouble anyone. He bowls a good line. He knows what a good length can be in English conditions," Chappell added.
The former Australia batter, however, did not forget to heap praise on Gill and the Indian cricket system that nurtures young cricketers better than most teams in world cricket.
"I've seen a little bit of Shubman Gill. I've watched him live in Australia and of course on television. He looks a good player. The one thing that India have done well than other teams in the world is with developing their players. They have played a lot of cricket. They have sent them overseas. Rahul Dravid has overseen stuff from the NCA. That has prepared them well for international cricket. GIll has played international cricket, has scored runs, He has played a lot of first-class cricket. So for a 22-year-old, he is an experienced cricketer," he said.