"He will come more prepared and hungrier" - Abhishek Nayar on Shubman Gill's struggles against the turning ball in 1st India vs West Indies T20I
Abhishek Nayar believes Shubman Gill will come better prepared to handle the spin threat in the remaining four games of the ongoing T20I series between India and the West Indies.
The Windies set the Men in Blue a 150-run target in the series opener in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Thursday, August 3. Gill scored three runs off nine deliveries in the run chase as the visitors were restricted to 145/9 and lost the game by four runs.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Nayar was asked about Gill's struggles against spin, to which he responded:
"He will come more prepared and hungrier. Akeal Hosein is going to bowl to him in the next four matches with the new ball and he is a bowler who will not give you room. Shubman's strength is using his feet and employing the sweep shot."
The former India all-rounder pointed out that the opener will have to find a way to tackle the turning ball in the powerplay overs, observing:
"However, when the ball turns, he will have to figure out which shot to play to score runs in the powerplay. When you go to Guyana from here, there also you will get help for the spinners."
Nayar reckons Gill might have to employ the reverse sweep although he did acknowledge that he doesn't play the shot often. He expects the youngster to go back to the drawing board and discuss with his father how he can score runs in the next match.
"He got stuck slightly" - RP Singh on Shubman Gill's dismissal
![Shubman Gill has enjoyed an excellent run across formats this year. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/264d0-16911360737933-1920.jpg?w=500)
RP Singh feels Shubman Gill's inability to break the shackles cost him his wicket on a slightly tough surface to bat on. He stated:
"It was definitely a difficult wicket for batting. There was a lot of help for the spinners and Hosein bowled well. Shubman Gill's recent form has been fantastic. So we all expected an explosive knock. He got stuck slightly because of which he lost his wicket."
The former Indian pacer expects the stylish batter to learn from his misjudgment, explaining:
"He did try to hit the ball over extra cover to score some runs but didn't manage to do it. He picked the wrong ball but that happens. You learn from your mistakes. Keep the approach that you don't lose, you either learn or win."
Singh reckons Gill will feel that he missed out, considering the form he was in. He concluded by opining that the match would have unfolded differently had he strung together a 40 to 50-run partnership.