IPL 2021: Will Shubman Gill's absence be a blessing in disguise for KKR?
India's opening batsman Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the England tour after reportedly suffering a shin stress fracture. Gill was last seen in the recently-concluded World Test Championship Final. His injury has made his participation in the rescheduled IPL 2021 doubtful as well.
The young batsman plies his trade for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the IPL. He made his IPL debut in 2018 and has been a part of the same franchise since then. Shubman Gill was initially used as a middle-order batsman by KKR as Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine were going great guns at the top.
He played at various different positions in his first season but made sure that his presence was felt. Gill scored 203 runs at an average of 33.83 and a strike rate of 146.04 in IPL 2018. His good performance in the middle order meant that KKR persisted with him for that role in the next season as well. However, it did not go well for Gill this time around.
Shubman Gill struggled in the middle order and failed to play any substantial innings whatsoever. But Narine's constant failures as an opener meant that Gill had an opportunity to open alongside Lynn. He made great use of this opportunity and ended up scoring three half-centuries as an opener.
Experts and fans were both impressed with Shubman Gill's performance at the top of the order. It seemed like the 21-year-old could be the next big thing in Indian cricket. But here is where the challenge began for the youngster.
Shubman Gill's low strike rate was a major cause of concern for KKR
When the 2020 season arrived, expectations from the batsman were much higher. It was always going to be interesting to see if he could handle the additional pressure and play in a responsible manner. While it did seem like Shubman Gill had become more responsible, there were questions about whether his contributions were helping his team.
While Gill successfully saved his wicket, he failed to add much to the team's score. The youngster was unable to capitalize on the first six overs and KKR did not have the big-hitting Lynn in their line-up anymore.
Even barring the first six overs, he was not able to do much. Gill's highest score of the season was 70 runs which took him 62 deliveries. He clearly struggled to play the big shots. Gill was an accumulator who kept scoring runs but at a very low strike rate.
He ended the season with 440 runs at a strike rate of only 117.96. In modern day cricket this strike rate is just unacceptable. KKR had a power-packed middle order but by the time Gill got out, the pressure was already building. The lower order had no choice but to go all out from ball one which didn't quite help the team.
In seven matches in IPL 2021, Shubman Gill managed to score only 132 runs at an average of 18.85 and a strike rate of 117.85. It was visible that he was trying to be more attacking but was clearly failing. This took a toll on his average as well. It felt like Gill was becoming a burden on the KKR side. While there was no doubt about his potential, it seemed like he needed some time to reinvent his game.
Therefore, the news of the Punjab-born player missing the remaining part of IPL 2021 could actually be great for KKR. They have Rahul Tripathi who is an aggressive player and would love to open the batting. Apart from him, the team can also make Sunil Narine or Tim Seifert open. Quick runs in the initial overs will take some pressure off their middle order as well.
With news of franchises being able to retain only four players next year, this would also be a perfect chance for KKR to try out some new players. All in all, the absence of Shubman Gill could well work in favor of KKR.