"There are many similarities" - Dinesh Karthik on Shubman Gill and Sachin Tendulkar
Dinesh Karthik recently pointed out similarities between the techniques of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and opening batter Shubman Gill.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, the wicketkeeper-batter noted that Gill tends to stand tall at the crease, much like how Tendulkar used to. He pointed out that, apart from getting on top of the ball, Gill has also used his quick bat speed to his advantage.
Comparing the two right-handed batters, Karthik explained:
"There are many similarities, technically. You know, the positions they get into, tall batters. Sachin Tendulkar is not tall, but he stands tall at the crease and is always on top of the ball. Shubman Gill is very similar, high hands, and he has this trigger movement where he goes back and across and waits for it.
"That's why you see sometimes he might inside edge it because of the way his bat swing is. But there's slightly less movement on flat tracks. The speed at which he brings the bat down is what makes him really special."
Shubman Gill delivered a fantastic performance with the bat in India's first innings of the ongoing fourth Test against Australia in Ahmedabad. The youngster bagged praise from fans for a stellar 128-run knock on Day 3.
"This is a different sort of a square cut" - Dinesh Karthik on Shubman Gill's short-arm jab on the offside
Dinesh Karthik further spoke about how Shumban Gill uses a different technique to play the square cut as compared to the likes of Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara.
He highlighted how Gill's shot is more of a short-arm jab that goes in front of the backward point, while Sehwag and Sangakkara used to play the particular stroke towards the gully region.
"Generally, when you see good cutters of the ball, they'll always cut behind square," Karthik added. "You see Kumar Sangakkaras, Virender Sehwags, they'll perplex you between the left and right of the gully and they have such a great range.
"This is a different sort of a square cut where it's a short-arm jab. It hits in front and the sound is just so crisp, it's a beautiful feeling when you play that shot."
Shubman Gill didn't feature in the first two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The 23-year-old replaced KL Rahul in the playing XI in the third Test. While he failed to score big in the fixture, he bounced back with a stunning century in the crucial fourth and final game.