"You can't be too critical but numbers are not stacking up nicely for him" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill's dismissal

Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that Shubman Gill can't be criticized much for his dismissal in the second T20I between India and New Zealand. However, he pointed out that the opener has underwhelming numbers in the shortest format.

The Men in Blue restricted the Black Caps to 99/8 after Mitchell Santner opted to bat first at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, January 29. Hardik Pandya and Co. made heavy weather of the chase, losing wickets at regular intervals.

They eventually overhauled the target with six wickets and just one delivery to spare to keep the series alive ahead of the final game in Ahmedabad.

While reflecting on India's chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra praised Mitchell Santner's captaincy. He also expressed some disappointment with Shubman Gill's dismissal, saying:

"It was not a straightforward run chase. I think Mitchell Santner's captaincy was very good, he rotated his bowlers well, got Glenn Phillips and [Mark] Chapman also to bowl. It was an almost identical dismissal for Shubman Gill."

The former Indian opener added:

"He [Gill] was dismissed off Santner's bowling in the first match and here, Michael Bracewell. He is trying to play the pull shot but getting the leading edge, it happened both times. Happens on a turning surface.

"You can't be too critical but numbers are not stacking up nicely for him, that's a problem."

Gill managed just 11 runs off nine deliveries and holed out to Finn Allen at deep square leg off Michael Bracewell's bowling. The Gujarat Titans opener has aggregated just 76 runs at a lowly average of 15.20 in the five T20Is he has played.

"Suryakumar Yadav, who is in amazing form, was also seen struggling" - Aakash Chopra

Suryakumar Yadav hit just one boundary during his innings. [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra observed that Ishan Kishan and Rahul Tripathi could not play substantial knocks in Lucknow. He also highlighted that Suryakumar Yadav had a tough time in the middle as well, stating:

"Ishan Kishan was looking decent and he got run out. Rahul Tripathi also swung his bat but how many runs will you score here? Suryakumar Yadav, who is in amazing form, was also seen struggling."

Chopra concluded by pointing out that the hosts just managed to scrape through to a win, elaborating:

"Washi (Washington Sundar) got run out. Two players got run out in a small run chase and the match went till the last over. It seemed at one stage that we might not be able to win but ultimately a four was hit and we won."

.@surya_14kumar hits the winning runs as #TeamIndia secure a 6-wicket win in Lucknow & level the #INDvNZ T20I series 1️⃣-1️⃣

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-2N…

#INDvNZ | @mastercardindia https://t.co/onXTBVc2Wu

Suryakumar played 31 deliveries for his unbeaten 26, with his only boundary being the winning four he hit. He strung together an unbroken 31-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (15 off 20) to take India across the line.