Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has claimed that, while Shubman Gill is a brilliant hitter, his style is best suited to white ball cricket on flat surfaces. He pushed the boy to improve his footwork and red ball abilities.
Shubman Gill, at 24, has an outstanding record in one-day cricket. He’s had 44 matches where he’s scored 2,271 runs at an average 61.38 and a strike rate 103.46. He’s had six hundreds and 13 fifties. However, his Test match average is 29.53 over 21 games.
In an interview with TimesofIndia.com, Mohammad Kaif discussed Shubman Gill’s troubles in red ball cricket.
“Shubman Gill is a very talented batsman, no doubt about that, but his game is of white-ball cricket and flat wickets which we get in limited overs internationals. But in Test cricket, you won’t get flat wickets, the ball will bounce, the ball will turn, so Gill has to work on his footwork and I am sure that he will make the necessary adjustments and will score runs again.”
Mohammad Kaif
When asked about India’s batting performance against England in the first Test in Hyderabad, Kaif said that the set batsmen did not convert fifties into hundreds.
“Most of the Indian batsmen got off to good starts in the first innings but for the temperament of Test cricket, you have to stay at the wicket and play according to the situation. I am sure head coach Rahul Dravid would have spoken to them about that.”
Mohammad Kaif
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja from Team India each hit scores in the 80s during the initial innings. Despite their efforts, no hundreds were scored.
In the discussion, Kaif shared his thoughts. He feels that Indian batsmen are not as skilled at playing spin as they once were. He brought up first-timer Tom Hartley’s remarkable seven-for in the second innings as an example. Hartley, he said, learned from Indian spinners and this learning proved crucial. Hartley became a key reason for England’s win by 28 runs.
Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer struggling to score runs in Test cricket
As previously said, Gill does not have a terrific record in Test cricket. Since his last hundred in the format, against Australia in Ahmedabad in March 2023, he has scored 36 runs in 11 innings.
He posted scores of 13 and 18 in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia and struggled on the tours of West Indies and South Africa as well.
Gill is not alone; Shreyas Iyer Test records spark worry too. His best score in his recent 10 Test games was a mere 35. South Africa’s tour scrutinized his technique as he faced difficulties in leaving his mark.
