He expressed reservations about his son batting lower down the order, suggesting that continuing to open would have been more suitable for his style.
The Indian batters have truly exerted their dominance against England in the five-match Test series to give the hosts an upper hand throughout the contest. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been one of the star performers for the hosts and is also the top run scorer for India in the series with 712 runs in 9 innings so far.
Jaiswal, with his impressive display, has consolidated the opening spot alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. However, another India star’s father feels that his son should ideally bat at as an opener.
Lakhwinder Singh, father of Shubman Gill expressed reservations about his son batting lower down the order, suggesting that opening at the top would have been more suitable for his style of play. He reasoned that a longer wait in the dressing room to bat at No.3 could increase pressure, affecting his son’s performance.
Playing predominantly as an opener across formats since his debut in 2019, Gill shifted to No.3 in Tests to enable the opening combination of Rohit and Yashasvi. Gill also struggled initially to adjust to the new role and went 10 consecutive innings without a half-century.
Speaking to PTI, Lakhwinder opined, “He should have continued to open. It is not right at all I feel. When you sit in the dressing room for longer, the pressure tends to increase. Number 3 is not opening nor it is a middle-order spot.”
Despite holding his own viewpoint, Lakhwinder expressed his admiration for Shubman’s independence in making decisions, recognizing his development as a cricketer. He proudly spoke of his role as a father and emphasized his contribution to supporting Shubman’s training regimen.
“I don’t interfere in his decisions. I just train with him. He is old enough to make his own decisions. I made decisions on his behalf only when he was a teenager,” he said.
Gill, who had been under scrutiny due to a series of innings without reaching fifty, made a strong comeback during the second Test in Vizag by scoring a century and marking a significant turnaround in his form.
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