Gill endured a disappointing BGT 2024/25 campaign.
The Indian team suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), which cost them a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. A major part of the loss can be attributed to the poor batting performances from a star-studded batting lineup.
Amongst the flop shows was young India batter Shubman Gill, finishing with scores of 13, 20, 1, 28, & 31. He has faced heavy backlash from former cricketer and selector Kris Srikkanth following his subpar performances Down Under.
After having a breakout debut series in Australia in 2020/21, the dynamic right-hander has struggled overseas, averaging 17.64 across 18 innings. The 25-year-old has not crossed the 40-run mark even once during this period and endured a disappointing BGT 2024/25 campaign.
Chikka labelled Gill as ‘overrated’ and highlighted three players who should be given the preference in the Test squad.
Kris Srikkanth advocates for three stars over Shubman Gill in Test team
Srikkanth went on to criticize the selectors for persistently backing Shubman Gill while questioning their reluctance to provide similar opportunities to players like Suryakumar Yadav. He pointed out that Suryakumar was dropped after just one match against Australia in Nagpur and has since been confined to a white-ball role.
Srikkanth also urged the management to prioritize giving chances to players such as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan, whom he believes are more deserving of a spot in the Test team over Gill currently.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad, for example, has been doing wonderfully in first-class cricket. But they’ve not bothered to pick him. Meanwhile someone like a Sai Sudharsan has been lighting it up in ‘A’ tours. You have to promote these kind of talents. Instead they are running around circles by picking Gill,” Srikkanth added in a video on his YouTube channel.
