Former India batter Dinesh Karthik believes that Shubman Gill has a major flaw in his technique after failing to register any fifties in his three innings of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Karthik said that Gill is confused about his batting approach in India vs overseas conditions. After his Gabba heroics in 2021 with a stunning score of 91 runs, Gill’s home and away batting form has been sheer contrast.
Gill has scored 1177 runs in 31 innings, his away is significantly less than 424 runs from 20 innings. The former RCB player Dinesh Karthik believes that Shubman Gill’s trigger of getting on the front foot and pushing at the ball hard has brought his downfall away from home and has resulted in a terrible average of 22.31 since the Gabba Test match in 2021.
“I think Shubman Gill definitely has a slight technical error, which is pushing at the ball. When you play a lot of white ball cricket, you tend to do that.”
“Travis Head does that as well, but what he has found is the method of doing that, and I think that players like Shubman Gill are caught in the trap of the way they bat in India and the way they bat outside,” said Dinesh Karthik.
“Which is, the moment you see the ball released from the bowler, your mind tells you that this is a full ball you need to go at it.”
“Batsmen who travel abroad to places like Australia, England and South Africa tune themselves in practice when they see a fuller ball like that, especially against a new ball –
A) they play with slightly soft hands, or
B) they try and focus on playing the ball as close to the body or leave.
“Shubman Gill is playing like he would play in India, where he sees the release, goes for the ball with hard hands.”
“Now in Australia, sometimes, in places like the Gabba, playing off the front foot is a little difficult. So at the start of the innings, you have to tell yourself that, I have to leave,” pointed out Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik concluded by stating that Shubman Gill has been around for a long time and it was not acceptable for him to get out while playing ordinary shots. Gill was dismissed trying to drive a ball on his front foot during the match at The Gabba.
“For a No.3 batsman who has been around for so long, Shubman Gill has played a very, very ordinary shot, there are no mincing words here.”
“And let’s be honest here, that the Indian batting, as a group, have not fired here for some time now, and with every passing innings, they are putting pressure on themselves,” Karthik concluded.
The third match of the BGT ended in draw after the rain spoiled the game on day 05 and both sides have one victory each. The fourth match of the Australia-India tests will be played beginning on December 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
