"It needed a Tendulkar to go to Australia and get those runs" - Sanjay Manjrekar on the opportunity for Shubman Gill in the WTC final
Sanjay Manjrekar feels the World Test Championship (WTC) final presents a great opportunity for Shubman Gill to make the entire world take notice of his talent.
India will face Australia in the title decider at The Oval in London from Wednesday, June 7. Gill will likely open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma and will want to better his performance from the 2021 WTC final against New Zealand.
During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Manjrekar was asked about his thoughts on Shubman Gill's excellent form heading into the crunch game, to which he responded:
"If he gets a big hundred in that one-off Test match, the world takes notice. At the moment, we are all excited, a few people in the world are excited but it needed a (Sachin) Tendulkar to go to Australia and get those runs. Virat Kohli - 2018, to get all-time greatness as a stamp on it."
Gill has been in scintillating form across formats over the last few months. He has scored a Test century, three ODI centuries including a double hundred, and a century in T20I cricket in 2023, apart from bagging the Orange Cap in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.
"When he is uncertain, that's when he is vulnerable" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Shubman Gill's technique
Sanjay Manjrekar believes Shubman Gill's front-foot movement reflects his form, explaining:
"Shubman Gill - big trigger movement going back and these days when he is in form, that front foot goes down the pitch quite a bit. When he is uncertain, that's when he is vulnerable. So the back-foot trigger movement happens and the front foot stays there and doesn't go much forward."
The former Indian batter doesn't see any issues in the stylish batter's back-foot trigger movement, stating:
"So anything that's pitched up can trouble him. The back-foot trigger movement is not a bad thing. A lot of great players have had it - Steve Waugh and Hashim Amla had it."
While observing that Gill needs to be slightly careful against fuller deliveries at the start of the innings, Manjrekar concluded by pointing out that the opener can take the game away from the opposition once he is set:
"So he scores off anything that's short of a length but the ball pitched up is something that he will have to be wary of. But once he gets in, there are a lot of good balls that he will dispatch for fours and quickly go from thirties, forties and fifties, and put pressure on the opposition."
Gill has amassed 413 runs at an impressive average of 51.62 in the five Tests he has played against Australia. However, he averages a paltry 14.25 in the two Tests he has played on English soil and will hope to improve that record at The Oval.