Sunil Gavaskar Advises Shubman Gill to Adjust Batting Approach for Test Cricket After Initial Struggles
Tempering Aggression and Understanding Red Ball Challenges for Test Success
After the young batsman failed to score significantly in the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion, Sunil Gavaskar has asked Shubman Gill to temper his aggressive intentions when batting in Tests.
India lost the first Test by an innings and 32 runs. Gill scored two and twenty-six at the SuperSport Park before being removed by pacers Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen in the first and second innings, respectively.
Gavaskar counseled Gill to consider how Test cricket differs from white-ball cricket in terms of requirements.
"In my opinion, he is playing Test cricket a little too aggressively. Playing Test cricket differs slightly from playing Twenty20 and One-Day International cricket. The ball makes a difference.
"Compared to the white ball, the red ball moves a little bit more both off the pitch and in the air. It also bounces a bit higher. That's something he should remember, Gavaskar said to Star Sports.
Gill had a great run in the limited-over versions of the game, but in 10 innings in the traditional format in 2023, he has only managed to score one fifty or more: a hundred against Australia in Ahmedabad back in March.
His scores from his nine other outings were 21, 5, 13, 18, 6, 10, 29 not out, 2, and 26. When England last visited India in early 2021, James Anderson noted that Gill often faced serious difficulties as a result of the delivery's shape-and-dash style.
That was also demonstrated by Australian quick Scott Boland, who dominated Gill in the June World Test Championship final at The Oval.
Gavaskar wished Gill would discover his range as soon as possible.
"We were impressed by Shubman Gill's shots as he launched his career. All we can do is hope he returns to his former form. I hope he works harder in the future and achieves success," Gavaskar remarked.
In the second and final Test, which starts on Wednesday in Cape Town, India will be looking to square the series.
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