NEW DELHI: The troubled Shubman Gill, according to former India captain Anil Kumble, has been given the kind of "cushion" that veteran Cheteshwar Pujara never received. The young batter must perform well in the second Test against England or else he would be under a lot of pressure.
In his last 11 Test innings, 24-year-old Gill has not scored a half-century. In March last year, he made a century-plus score in India's first innings against visiting Australia in Ahmedabad, but since then, his best score has been 36.
In the first Test match in Hyderabad against England, which India lost by 28 runs on Sunday, Gill scored 23 and 0 in the two innings.
"He (Gill) has been given the cushion perhaps even a Cheteshwar Pujara didn't get, although he (Pujara) has played over a 100 Tests," Kumble said on 'JioCinema'.
"I keep coming back to him (Pujara) mainly because that was his place (No 3) not too long ago. Pujara played in that World Test Championship final and post that, it's been Shubman Gill, who's been moving from the opener's slot, and he himself wanted to bat at No. 3."
After his last Test match, which was against Australia in the World Test Championship final in June 2023, the 36-year-old Pujara was ignored. Earlier last month, he made a double hundred (243 not out) in a Ranji match. Prior to the commencement of the England series, Indian captain Rohit Sharma declared that younger players were being given preference in an effort to look ahead.
Kumble stated that Gill needs to improve his mentality and make a few minor technical adjustments for the second Test, which begins on February 2.
"So, when you want to bat at No. 3 especially in India because you have that talent, you certainly need to work on your game. He has the skills, he is young and he's learning, but he needs to do it in Vizag (in second Test), otherwise the pressure will be on him," he observed.
1/10:India vs England 1st Test: Statistical Highlights
ANI
2/10:Ollie Pope
<p>Ollie Pope's 196 is his second highest Test score behind the 205 vs Ireland at Lord's in June 2023. </p>IANS
3/10:Joe Root
<p>Just three England batters have amassed more runs in an innings in India - 218 by Joe Root in 2021; 207 by Mike Gatting in 1985 and 201 by Graeme Fowler in 1985 - all three at Chennai. </p>IANS
4/10:Tom Hartley
<p>Tom Hartley's figures of 7/62 are the fifth best bowling performance against India on Test debut and also the best for an England spinner on Test debut in the post-war era (since 1945). </p>PTI
5/10:9 wickets
<p>Tom Hartley's nine wickets in a match are the joint-most since Robert Berry's 9/116 vs West Indies in Manchester in 1950. </p>PTI
6/10:2nd highest losing 1st innings score
<p>India's total of 436 is their second highest losing first innings score in India, resulting in a defeat behind the 449 against Pakistan at Bengaluru in 2005. </p>PTI
7/10:Shubman Gill
<p>Shubman Gill averages 17.30 (173 runs in his last 11 innings without a 50), the highest being 36 against South Africa at Cape Town this month) since making 128 against Australia at Ahmedabad (March 2023). </p>AFP
8/10:Defeat for India
<p>190 is the second highest first innings lead resulting in a defeat for India in a Test match - the highest being 192 against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2015. </p>AFP
9/10:4th narrowest Test defeat
<p>This is the fourth narrowest Test defeat for India by runs (28), behind 12 runs vs Pakistan in Chennai 1999, 16 runs vs Australia in Brisbane 1977 and 16 vs Pakistan in Bengaluru 1987. </p>AFP
10/10:England seamers
<p>This is the first instance that there was no wicket for England seamers in a Test in post war era (since 1945), where they have taken all 20 opposition wickets. </p>Reuters"He needs to be a lot freer, score runs. He needs to come up with his own plan to tackle spin, because he has hard hands.
"It's good for good surfaces where the ball is coming on nicely and the faster bowlers are bowling at you. But when the ball is turning, when it's slow, you need to use your hands and control and check your shots. That's something he needs to work on. It can't be one flow all the time."
But can Gill change his skill sets just four days before the next Test?
"I think it's all the mindset. You can certainly work on your mindset, and you have the best possible person as the coach (Rahul Dravid) to manage that for Shubman Gill," he pointed out.
Although Indian hitters are renowned for their superior spin play, England outwitted them in this first Test match. In the remaining games, Kumble urged the Indians to think creatively.
"India certainly need to buckle up with their approach to playing against spin because I felt the approach of a couple of batters wasn't positive and even the footwork wasn't what you expected.
"I also felt that they were certainly rattled by the way England approached their batting and with that, they have to come up with plans, some unconventional ones," he said.
Kumble also spoke on the likelihood that wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav will be included in the starting XI for the second Test.
"I am not really sure whether you need a fourth spinner. But if India feel that they need only one fast bowler, then having Kuldeep will certainly help. He will have variations but England will come and do the same things they did in Hyderabad," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
