Cheteshwar Pujara has questioned Shubman Gill’s “technique” and “shot selection” ahead of the Melbourne Test against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In the ongoing series, India’s new No 3 has managed only 60 runs in three innings.
“His technique, he has hard hands,” Pujara said on ESPN Cricinfo.
“He has to work a bit more on his footwork as well.
“Most of the times during this series, we have seen that he is waiting for the shot deliveries rather than going towards the ball.”
Since scoring 91 at Gabba, four years ago, Shubman’s highest outside Asia is 36. Gill has scored only 267 runs to show across 16 innings in Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies, for an average of 17.80.
“And there are some shots which he has played which look very nice, but at the same time he has to be a bit more selective with the kind of shots he is playing, especially when he is driving,” said Pujara.
“He got out driving the ball which was outside the off stump, so he has to leave a few balls and he has to be patient.
“Look, I know he has an aggressive game, but top of the order, sometimes you just need to look at the ball, try and play on the merit of the ball, rather than just having that extra positive mindset where you are looking to play more shots rather than looking at the ball and then try and play accordingly.
“He can’t restrict himself too much, but at the same time, one has to be smart.
“One needs to know that when the ball is doing a bit, you need to find ways to deal with those conditions and deal with those spells. And if he can see through that, then probably once he is set, he can score big.”
Why should you buy our Subscription?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package
