IND v ENG: Shubman Gill continues to disappoint at No. 3 as Tom Hartley revives self with maiden Test wicket
Young star Shubman Gill continues to disappoint at No. 3 as the star batter was dismissed cheaply on Day 2 of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad on January 25.
Shubman Gill struggled to show any kind of intent during his 66-ball stay in the middle as he fell for just 23 to debutant spinner Tom Hartley on Friday morning in front of a packed crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Shubman Gill managed to add just 9 runs to his overnight score as he struggled to rotate the strike, feeding into the plans of Ben Stokes and his England side. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen kept highlighting the lack of intent from Gill, who was not able to rotate strike like his batting partner KL Rahul, who walked in at No. 4 after Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 80 in the first over of the day’s play.
Shubman Gill put himself under pressure by not keeping the scoreboard moving and when he tried to play a release shot against debutant Tom Hartley in the 35th over, he was dismissed. The India No. 3 hit one straight into the hands of Ben Duckett at mid-wicket.
The choice of shot was poor from Shubman Gill as he tried to break free after having been tentative against spin in the first Test.
“He has done all the hard work, Shubman Gill and then you see a shot like that. Very, very disappointing. What kind of a shot was he look to play? One can understand if he was looking to play it in the air,” Sunil Gavaskar, who was on air, said, expressing his frustration at Gill’s shot.
The India star has not gotten used to the No. 3 spot, something that he offered to take up after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s debut in West Indies last year.
Gill has managed just 189 runs at an average of 23.62 in 9 innings at No. 3 in Tests for India with a highest score of 47.
SHASTRI LAUDS STOKES’S CAPTAINCY
Meanwhile, former captain Ravi Shastri, who was recently conferred with the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award, lauded Ben Stokes for sticking with Tom Hartley despite his poor outing on Thursday.
Hartley conceded at over 5 runs on Thursday as he was taken to the cleaners by Yashasvi Jaiswal on the opening day of the Test. However, the left-arm pacer was given the backing by the skipper and he was a relieved man after Gill’s wicket.
“Credit to Ben Stokes. He has shown faith in Hartley. A lot of captains might have wanted to make a change, but he has stuck by him,” Shastri said.
Earlier, India bundled out England for 246 on Day 1 and the hosts went past 150 on Day 2 morning despite losing Yashasvi early. KL Rahul looked fluent after walking into bat at No. 4.