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Former Indian opening batter Kris Srikkanth, who also served as India's chief selector in the past, has criticised Shubman Gill for his below-par form in away series and flop show in the recently concluded five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, calling the No.3 batter "highly overrated cricketer."
Gill, who was sensational in his debut series in Australia in 2020-21, lost his charm in the recently concluded five-match Test series and has been under the spotlight for his poor form. This Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 series turned out to be disastrous for the young Indian batter as he was only able to score 13, 20, 1, 28 and 31.
Gill, who was often applauded as India's next big thing, has fallen short of expectations, especially in overseas conditions, raising eyebrows about his ability to deliver on the big stage.
The 25-year-old batter has been struggling to score runs in overseas conditions since the 2020-21 Australia tour, averaging just 17.64 across 18 innings. Gill has yet to cross the 40-run mark since that period.
"I've always maintained that Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer, but nobody listened to me. He is a highly overrated cricketer," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth has questioned the Indian selectors for sticking with Gill for an ample period while sidelining other players like Suryakumar Yadav for similar opportunities.
"When Gill is getting such a long rope, some people might wonder why even players like Suryakumar Yadav couldn't have been given a longer run in Tests," the former India captain remarked.
Srikkanth also pointed out that Suryakumar was dropped after just one single outing against Australia in the Nagpur Test and the batter now has been restricted to just white-ball cricket.
"Suryakumar didn't have the best start in Tests, but he has the technique and ability. Yet, the selectors and management have boxed him into being a white-ball specialist. So now, fresh talent needs to be looked at."
The former India selector wants team management to look up to the players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan, who according to his deserve chances ahead of Gill.
"Ruturaj Gaikwad, for instance, has been performing brilliantly in first-class cricket, but he hasn't been picked. Similarly, Sai Sudharsan has been outstanding on 'A' tours. These are the players who should be promoted. Instead, the selectors are stuck in a loop with Gill," Srikkanth said.
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"Gill is surviving because he gets ten chances and scores on the tenth after nine failures. That keeps him in contention for another ten chances. Anyone can score runs on Indian wickets, but the real challenge is performing in overseas conditions, particularly in SENA countries. That's where players like KL Rahul have proven themselves," said former India's chief selector.