Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
'Unreal favouritism by Rahul Dravid': Pressure mounts as Shubman Gill falls for 7 in 1st ODI vs West Indies
Shubman Gill has struggled to score in the away matches that India have played since the end of the 2023 IPL.
Shubman Gill couldn't make a mark in the first ODI between India and West Indies. It is a continuation of the Indian top order batter's failure to make a big score since the end of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) and his innings in the first ODI has now led to fans questioning if he deserves to be in the Indian team ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Gill scored seven off 16 balls as he opened the innings on Thursday with Ishan Kishan. India were chasing a meagre target of 115 and captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had decided to let go of their usual top order positions in order to allow the other batters some time in the middle. While Kishan scored 52 off 46 balls, Gill hardly ever looked comfortable and ended up being caught at slips off Jayden Seales.
It is the latest in a string of low scores from Gill in the matches India have played since the end of the 2023 IPL. While he earned plaudits for his performances in the T20 tournament and in international matches before that, Gill has had a tough time since then. The first ODI against the West Indies was the first limited overs match he had played since then. Before that, he has fallen for scores of 13 and 18 against Australia at the Oval in the WTC final, which India went on to lose. In the first Test against West Indies, which kicked off India's ongoing tour, Gill could only score six runs in the team's only innings. In the second Test, Gill scored 10 and an unbeaten 29.
After his dismissal in the first ODI, there were many who said that Gaikwad now deserves a look in. Some also blamed head coach Rahul Dravid of showing “favouritism” by picking Gill ahead of Gaikwad while others called out former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad over his silence on Gill as opposed to when he slammed KL Rahul on multiple occassions.
Gill's form dip
Gill's current predicament is almost an antithesis to his form before the WTC Final. He had scored a century against Australia in the third Test in Ahmedabad. He has also scored ODI and T20I centuries this year and won the Orange Cap in the IPL after scoring 890 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 157.80, which included three centuries.
India started the ODI series with a straightforward five-wicket win over the West Indies. The hosts were blown away inside 23 overs after which India made a bit of a hash of the chase. Rohit eventually walked in at No.7 and took the team over the line.
