Yes, Shubnam Gill must play in all the Tests against Australia. He is in excellent form. In the space of just a few months, he has scored hundreds in all the formats. Granted that those runs came against some mediocre bowling and in familiar Asian conditions but nonetheless, to score those runs takes some effort. When someone is in this sort of form, it is imperative that he is part of the playing eleven. Will Gill get to the play in all the games? We will have to wait and see.
The 126 of just 63 deliveries against New Zealand in the 3rd T20 was sublime. Gill is talented, yes, we all know that but a hundred in T20 and that too of just 10 overs is something even his fiercest supporters would not have believed. The innings was pretty special. It showcased the calm Gill as well as the belligerent Gill. The transformation once Rahul Tripathi got out was something phenomenal.
“It feels good when you practice and it pays off,” Gill told Star Sports after winning the Player-of-the-Match award. “I was backing myself to get the big ones even in one-dayers and T20s, and unfortunately it didn’t happen for me in the Sri Lanka series and in the first couple of matches here but happy to get the big ones for the team.
Gill’s captain, Hardik Pandya, who was at the other end when he was reeling off boundaries at will, paid rich compliments to Gill. He remarked that Gill has a special ability to score boundaries of even good balls like Surya Yadav. That is a rich compliment from the captain because Surya’s angles are quite unique.
Test cricket is where greats are acknowledged
Gill in this one game showed that he has the power to go alongwith silken touch. He has taken quite sometime to establish himself. Even now, he is probably assured of a slot at the top of the order in ODI atleast for the foreseeable future. Whereas in Tests and T20, he still have a long way to go. Especially, in Tests. In T20 there are other batsmen who will be able to get the team off to an extraordinary start. Gill for all his talents, is still in the mould of a Rohit or Kohli, something that the team already has.
I do not rate Gill that highly as a T20 cricketer though he has a hundred to show for. It is in Test cricket that India need the talented Gill to blossom. Rohit is towards the end of his career and Rahul is a misfit. India will need the services of Shubman sooner rather than later. There is no better series than against Australia and in India to announce to the world what he is made of. The pressure will be immense and the bowling will be top class. He will seldom get a loose ball to put away. Hence, he will have to create the angles to score runs.
Gill’s position against Australia
Shreyas Iyer will miss the first Test against Australia. It opens up a spot in the middle order. With Rohit and Rahul set to open, though I wouldn’t mind seeing Rahul out of the playing eleven, Gill will easily replace Iyer at that spot. The trouble is what happens once Iyer returns from the 2nd Test onwards? That will be interesting. Shreyas Iyer had done really well in the short career so far. Atleast in Indian conditions, it will be unfair to leave him out. Yes, he has his shortcoming against the short ball but I will support him to overcome that problem in India.
Left to me, I will retain Gill in the eleven. It will be Rahul who will have to make way for Gill, that is if the team management does not go out of its way to accommodate him by making him a keeper. I really cannot understand this infatuation with Rahul.
Wrapping up Shubman Gill must play
Far too often, Gill has disappointed. There are far too many low scores for his own liking. Atleast in ODIs & T20s, he is beginning to assert himself. In a World Cup year, it is good to have him performing at the top. It opens up quite a few possibilities for India. It remains to be seen whether he can carry this form into Test cricket. With Australia about to arrive in the country, Gill’s runs will increase the pressure on Rahul. Though he is not expected to replace Rahul atleast in the first couple of innings, he can very well come into the equation once Rahul continues with his lean run.
It is for Gill to ensure that he not only pushes Rahul and any other incumbent out of the picture but to make the spot his own. He must ensure that nothing less than a hundred in that first test. If he can do that, it will be impossible to drop him.
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