"Digging his own grave" - Fans fume at Shubman Gill after yet another poor outing in whites during 1st IND vs ENG TestÂ
Shubman Gill's dismal run at No.3 in Test cricket continued as he was dismissed for 23 runs in the first innings of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad.
Gill resumed his innings on Day 2 after ending the opening day unbeaten on 14 runs. He was close to being dismissed on multiple occasions throughout his patchy innings that saw him face 66 deliveries at the crease. He was trapped in front by Tom Hartley, but survived as the ball seemingly missed the wicket narrowly.
Even on Day 2, Gill got a reprieve after he played an aggressive shot in the air, which was miscued by Ben Stokes, who could not spot the ball. However, his luck ran out as he tried to take on a very full delivery from Tom Hartley in the 35th over of the innings. The right-handed batter could only find Ben Duckett at midwicket with his stroke.
Fans were exasperated by Shubman Gill's recurring nature of losing his wicket to unnecessary strokes, which is arguably hampering his Test career. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
The middle-order pair of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul currently occupy the crease following Gill's dismissal. The duo are forging a partnership in a bid to close out the first session themselves, with the current score reading 179/3 after 39 overs.
Shubman Gill averages only 23.71 at No.3 in Tests so far
The decision to demote Shubman Gill to No.3 and introduce Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener has yielded mixed results so far. While the left-handed batter has settled well alongside Rohit Sharma at the top, Gill has been struggling to adapt to his new position.
The new-look top-order was first tested out during the Test series against the West Indies in 2023, and once again in the away series against South Africa. Before the ongoing Test against England, Gill scored 166 runs in the position in eight innings, having first played there during the second Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in 2021.
Will the batter retain his place for the second Test based on his current form? Let us know what you think.