India vs West Indies: Why Shubman Gill should be included in the squad
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 ended with one of the most exciting cricket matches in history. England defeated New Zealand to win their first World Cup, but not before being tied after 112 overs.
India, though, were knocked out of the tournament after a poor batting performance against New Zealand in the semi-final. And it was the performance of India's middle-order batsmen that has come under criticism in the tournament. There were a lot of changes made to the No 4 position over the past couple of years, and yet the middle-order flattered to deceive.
India needs a more responsible batsman in the middle. And Shubman Gill is a top pick for the future. Gill is a more settled batsman than Rishabh Pant, the player who seems likely to be given the spot for the near future, and has the quality to be more consistent than Dinesh Karthik. He's shown consistent form as well for India A.
While he is an opener, he has proved himself as an established middle-order batsmàn in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders. He scored 296 runs for KKR in IPL 2019, including three half-centuries, and was voted the emerging player of the season.
Gill was also the player of the tournament in the Under-19 World Cup in 2018 and helped India to win a fourth title. He scored 372 runs in five innings, at an incredible average of 124 and blistering strike-rate of 113. He was added to the India A squad and in the series against Sri Lanka, the 19-year-old from Punjab scored 133 runs in four games, at an average of 66. He also maintained a strike-rate of over 100.
Gill has performed brilliantly even outside the subcontinent, first in the Under-19 World Cup and then in series against West Indies A. He has shown sound technique and can negate swing bowling. While he can be aggressive when needed, his natural game is a more composed approach that allows his batting partners to attack. Gill has shown tremendous temperament and has been a consistent enough performer in domestic cricket.
The selection committee is expected to name the Indian squad for the tour to the West Indies in a couple of days. The announcement was originally due to come out on July 19, but was postponed. India will play three ODIs, three T20Is and two Test matches on the Carribean tour, starting with the first T20I on August 3.
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