- By Vishal Pushkar
- Sun, 31 Dec 2023 01:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has offered advice to young batsman Shubman Gill, urging him to temper his aggressive approach in Test matches. Gill faced a lackluster performance in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, scoring two and 26 runs in the SuperSport Park encounter, where India suffered an innings defeat.
In both innings, Gill fell to pacers Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen. Following the disappointing outing, Gavaskar emphasized the importance for Gill to adjust his playing style in the longer format of the game. Gavaskar urged the young batsman to recognize the distinct demands of Test cricket in comparison to white-ball formats, suggesting a more measured approach at the crease.
"I think he is playing a bit too aggressively in Test cricket. There is a slight difference when you play Test cricket when compared to T20I and ODI cricket. The difference is in the ball.
"The red ball moves a little more than the white ball in the air and off the pitch as well. It bounces a little more too. He should keep that in mind,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
While Gill had a fine run in the limited over versions, he has managed to score only one fifty-plus score in the traditional format in 10 innings in 2023, a hundred against Australia at home in March.
His nine other outings produced scores of: 21, 5, 13, 18, 6, 10, 29 not out, 2, 26.
Gavaskar hoped that Gill would find his range sooner than later.
"Shubman Gill started off his career so well and we praised his shots. We can only hope that he gets back into his form. Hope he trains harder and does well in the future,” said Gavaskar.
India will be aiming to square the series in the second and final Test against South Africa at Cape Town, starting from January 3.
Inputs from PTI