"When the pitches are slightly slow, he will find it difficult to find his rhythm" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's form issues since IPL 2023
Aakash Chopra feels Shubman Gill needs to make a few technical adjustments in his game to succeed on slow pitches.
Gill has been found slightly wanting in the ongoing multi-format series between India and the West Indies. He has particularly struggled in the T20Is, aggregating a paltry 16 runs in three innings.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Gill has endured a dismal run after IPL 2023. He reckons the stylish batter is likely to have issues on slow surfaces, elaborating:
"At this point in time, the problem is with Shubman Gill's form. During the IPL, I read in many places that he is no longer the prince but the king. But after that, there was the WTC final, he didn't score too many runs there, played two Test matches against the West Indies, didn't score runs there."
The former Indian opener added:
"Then he played three ODIs, where he scored one half-century and a score of 34. He has single-digit scores in all three T20Is. It seems like he hasn't scored runs at all on this West Indies tour. I feel there is one thing with him for sure - when the pitches are slightly slow, he will find it difficult to find his rhythm."
Chopra highlighted that Gill tends to play on the rise and through the line. He added that such a technique can come unstuck on slightly double-paced pitches where the bounce is a little unreliable, the ball turns a little more and gets stuck on the wicket.
"You will be scrutinized the most" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill playing as an opener
Aakash Chopra believes Shubman Gill needs to be more consistent as an opener. He reasoned:
"He will have to look into this because whenever you play as an opener, especially in white-ball cricket, you will be scrutinized the most. You will have the best opportunity to score runs but will be scrutinized the most as well. It gets highlighted very quickly when you don't score runs."
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Ishan Kishan had to make way for Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener after just two below-par scores. He stated:
"We saw Ishan Kishan being dropped for the last match. If the same yardstick is used, Shubman Gill should also be dropped. But he won't be because both are not going to be dropped together."
Chopra concluded by observing that Gill will be under pressure for the remainder of the series. He highlighted that someone like Ruturaj Gaikwad could take his place in T20I cricket if he excels at the top of the order in the upcoming series against Ireland.