India vs England: Shubman Gill must make technical adjustments to batting in Tests amid poor run of form

Very recently, Shubman Gill has made the headlines for mostly the wrong reasons than the right ones. Be it that costly mistake that resulted in Rohit Sharma’s run-out against Afghanistan in a T20I recently, or even his continuous struggles in Test cricket. It’s been that kind of a roller-coaster period for Gill, so much so that, he has been at the receiving end of things.

Once again, in the first Test against England in Hyderabad, Gill’s struggles were seemingly evident. His batting approach in the longest format has been questioned. Should he look to play aggressively? Or should he take time to settle down? These have been questions that have time and again popped up among experts.

Former India captain Anil Kumble, however, feels that Gill has been given the “cushion” that even someone like Cheteshwar Pujara didn’t fancy getting. “He has been given the cushion perhaps even a Cheteshwar Pujara didn’t get, because although he (Pujara) has played over a 100 Tests, I keep coming back to him mainly because that was his place 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. 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, otherwise the pressure will be on him,” Kumble said on JioCinema.

Gill’s poor record at No 3

Ever since Yashasvi Jaiswal entered the Test scene in the second half of 2023, Gill has been demoted to the number three slot in the batting line. It’s been captain Rohit Sharma opening along with Jaiswal, who started his Test career with a century against West Indies on debut, and just last week played a knock of 80 in the first innings of the first Test against England.

And with most of the other batting slots filled up with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, the only slot where Gill can be accommodated is the number three slot. And it is exactly in that particular slot where Gill has struggled.

He averages just 21 while coming to bat at one down in Tests, having scored just 189 runs in six matches. That’s in comparison to his 874 runs from 16 matches he has played as an opener, averaging 32.37.

However, it’s not just those stats that matter. Gill has struggled against left-arm spinners in Tests. Four out of his nine dismissals at No 3 in Tests have come against left-arm spinners. Now, that’s not a good reading if you are a top-order batter for India, or any team for that matter.

And in Hyderabad, Gill fell to Tom Hartley, the England left-arm spinner, on both occasions. In the first innings, where he scored 23, scoring a couple of boundaries, the 24-year-old was struggling to gain any sort of momentum. He didn’t seem as though he was going to stand there and deliver, or even at least rotate the strike.

The way Gill got out in the first innings was even more questionable. Facing a flight delivery from Hartley, Gill looked to shovel across the line, instead of rather going for a defensive approach. Eventually, Gill holed it out to Ben Duckett at mid-wicket.

Also, in the first Test against England, Gill hardly had any confidence in himself. His body language looked off, there wasn’t anything from Gill that seemed to suggest that a big knock was coming.

More than anything, Gill needs to have a patient approach, and not go for those risky shots that eventually cost his wicket in the first innings in Hyderabad.

Time is still in Gill’s favour. He is just 24 years old and he’s got a lot of cricket left in him. But, if he’s got to improve, Gill has to get better with his batting technically. Afterall, Gill has replaced someone (Pujara) at number three in the India Test setup who was incredibly patient, used a cautious approach against the opposition. But, at the same time, Gill must remember not to become too over-cautious because then, things could go south.

In the second Test in Visakhapatnam, Gill will now have his task even cut out given the fact that KL Rahul will miss the Test due to injury. And, not to forget, Kohli remains absent for the second Test due to personal reasons.

There’s no doubt Gill will feel the pressure to come out good. Afterall, Test cricket is a format where your resilience is put to the fore. So, for Gill, that opportunity is now.

However, should Gill be overlooked for the second Test and the team management hand a debut to Rajat Patidar, that would be a major blow for the former. Given Gill’s relatively decent record as an opener, another option would be to open with Gill and Jaiswal, whereas Rohit or Kohli bats in number three/four spot. Much like Wasim Jaffer suggested.

Gill and Jaiswal should open and Rohit should bat at no.3 in 2nd test in my opinion. Waiting to bat for his turn isn’t helping Shubman, it’s better he opens the inn. Rohit plays spin really well, so batting at no.3 should not worry him too much. #INDvENG

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 29, 2024

However, this would mean the need to reshuffle the batting order almost completely, and looks like the unlikeliest of scenarios.

Having said that, one would only hope big things are coming from a player like Gill. The right-handed batter hasn’t had a big knock since that 128 against Australia in Ahmedabad in March last year. In the last 12 months in Tests, Gill has averaged just over 25, while scoring 327 runs from eight matches.

But, for Gill, the numbers won’t matter. It’s about how good he comes up against the opposition generally, leave alone the spinners, that matters because at the end of the day, Test cricket is the most technical form of cricket. For Gill to remain a part of the Test team, he has not only remain consistent, but be able to bat freely and confidently. And call the shots when needed the most.