3 reasons why Shubman Gill should be dropped for the 2nd Test vs England
As India gear up to face England in the second Test of the five-match series, they will know that they need to be at their absolute best. Not only are the hosts staring at a 1-0 deficit in the series, but they will also be without two of their best performers from the opening Test.
Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, who scored half-centuries in the first innings in Hyderabad, have been ruled out of the Visakhapatnam Test. India have beefed up their squad with a few replacements, and personnel changes seem inevitable.
Forced changes might not be the only course of action taken by the team management for the second Test. Shubman Gill's spot in the side is under the scanner, and even if the think tank want to give him another chance to impress, there is merit in his exclusion.
Here are three reasons why Shubman Gill should be dropped for the second Test against England.
#3 Shubman Gill looked all at sea in the first Test
Among all the batters who featured in the first Test, Shubman Gill was one of the least convincing. The No. 3 batter registered scores of 23 and 0, with both his technique and his approach coming under criticism.
Gill went into his shell in the first innings, finding only two boundaries in a painful vigil at the crease. The manner in which he dismissed - spooning a simple catch to midwicket - was disappointing, too. Things got even worse in the second innings as the 24-year-old jabbed at one from Tom Hartley and handed a catch to silly point off the face of his bat.
Gill's hard hands and general confused approach were far from impressive, and India might need to act on the fly if they are to make their way back in the series.
#2 Shubman Gill has already been given a long run in Tests
Shubman Gill clearly has the faith of the team management, and rightfully so. He is one of the most promising talents in world cricket right now, and at some point in the future, he is bound to succeed at the Test level.
However, Gill has already been given a long rope in the format. After 21 Tests, he has an average under 30 and a strike rate under 60. The youngster has managed only four fifties and two hundreds, and he has averaged under 30 in each of his last four calendar years.
Gill has only one score above 30 in his last 11 Test innings, and a break could do him a world of good.
#1 India have in-form replacements waiting in the wings
India might be reluctant to hand out many debuts in a high-octane clash like the second Test, but the players who are waiting in the wings are far from raw.
Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan, while not capped at the Test level yet, have been prolific run-scorers in both domestic cricket and A tours. Both batters have been in rip-roaring form for A team lately, in their recent assignments against South Africa A and England Lions.
Patidar could bat at No. 3 as a straight swap for Gill. And while Sarfaraz has primarily batted at No. 4 or lower in the teams he has been part of, he is more than capable of taking up Gill's role, especially on turners.