India vs South Africa: ‘Shubman Gill is the big question mark…’ Dinesh Karthik's remark after visitors loss in 1st Test

The Indian cricket team had to concede an innings defeat against South Africa in the first Test. The manner in which India suffered defeat has raised many eyebrows and sparked plenty of discussions. Indian batting unit failed miserably as the hosts lost within three days of the opening Test. Young Indian batter Shubman Gill, in particular, has come under the spotlight after enduring an unimpressive Test outing in Centurion. Dinesh Karthik, a veteran cricketer, recently expressed that Gill needs to deliver in the second Test if he has to cement his place in the side.

IND vs SA: Rohit Sharma and Co get a reality check with innings thrashing in Centurion

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik said, “Shubman Gill is the big question mark here. He has not lived up to the expectations that people have. I think even he would be aware that if you are going to average mid-thirties or early-thirties after having played 20 Tests (19), then you would consider yourself to be a bit lucky to be around. His place will definitely be under the scanner if he doesn’t have a great Test match in the next one.”

Karthik also brought up Sarfaraz Khan’s name and said that he has been a prolific run scorer in domestic cricket and could make an entry into the national team quite soon. Karthik also identified Rajat Patidar as a strong candidate for the middle order, anticipating his inclusion in the squad in the near future.

“The only middle-order name that we are missing out on is Sarfaraz Khan. I have no doubt that he will make it to the squad much sooner than he thinks right now. Other than that, you do not have any other names doing the round in the middle order right now. Rajat Patidar is a very, very strong name that I think they will be looking at very soon,” Karthik said.

Following a deficit of 163 runs, India’s performance with the bat in the second innings was poor as the Rohit Sharma-led side could not do anything impressive. Virat Kohli was India’s lone warrior in the second innings as he came up with a splendid knock of 76.