Shubman Gill has struggled to make an impact on his tour of Australia so far, failing to convert his good starts into big scores, and the story is the same in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Responding to Gill's travails, Dinesh Karthik believes that “technical flaw” and the effect of playing too much white-ball cricket are the reasons behind the failure of the Indian batsman in Australia.
Dinesh Karthik identifies the reason why Shubman Gill is suffering from knocks
The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman noted that Shubman Gill's tendency to push the ball, especially in Test cricket, became evident in his recent performance in the ongoing five-match Test series between India and Australia.
Throughout three innings in the first two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, the right-handed batsman has managed just 60 runs. He missed the first match in Perth with a broken thumb and then managed 31 and 28 in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, while being dismissed for just 1 in the drawn Test at the Gabba, Brisbane.
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Karthik pointed out that when players focus too much on white-ball cricket, they tend to develop a habit of pushing the ball, which doesn't work in Test cricket, which is why Shubman Gill struggles to make runs on Australian soil.
Shubman Gill got a simple technical foul: Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz: “I think Shubman Gill definitely had a little technical foul, which is pushing the ball. When you play a lot of white-ball cricket, you tend to do that (pushing the ball). Even Travis Head does that, but What he found was a way to do it, and I think players like Shubman fell into the trap of the way they bat in India and the way they bat abroad.
In places like Australia, England and South Africa, batsmen need to adapt by playing with soft hands and focusing on playing the ball close to their body or leaving it completely, but Gill's instinct in India is to play hard and reach the ball. He plays like this Down Under and loses wickets, so he needs to change his mentality and approach.
Karthik further explained: “The moment you see the ball coming off the bowler, your mind is telling you that this is a fuller ball and you should hit it. Batsmen who travel abroad to places like Australia, England and South Africa practically restrain themselves when they see a fuller ball like that,” Karthik further explained. Especially against a new ball: a) they play with slightly soft hands or b) they try to focus on playing the ball closer to the body or leaving it.
Shubman Gill is playing as if he was playing in India, seeing the freedom and going to the ball with solid hands. So, at the beginning of the innings, he has to say to himself: “I have to leave.”
Dinesh Karthik criticizes Indian batting in BGT 2024-25
In the end, the cricket expert maintained that Shubman Gill has played very ordinary shots so far in the Test series despite his very crucial third over. He also said that the Indian fighters are yet to fire up the pace in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and with every passing round, they are putting pressure on themselves.