'Has to work on his footwork' - Mohammad Kaif's advice to this Indian star
India suffered a shocking defeat in the first Test against England in Hyderabad. Despite being in control for the first two days, the Indian team let England come back into the game by bowling filth in the third innings. Later, the batting unit failed to chase 231, as they succumbed to the debutant Tom Hartley, who took seven wickets in the innings.
Plenty of analysis and criticism have been done since the defeat, with different experts coming up with their own points. Former Indian player Mohammad Kaif said on Times of India that the Indian team looked in the ODI mode.
“What I feel is that an Indian ODI team is playing Test cricket at the moment. Be it Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma or Shubman Gill, all are strokemakers. Gill loves to hit shots but doesn't have much confidence in his defence. So, he has to make adjustments to his defensive technique to see off good bowling spells. Even Shreyas Iyer is an aggressive player.”
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The shots played by the likes of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul were indeed questionable. They looked in a rush despite having ample time. Had these batters batted longer, India could have fetched a more formidable first-innings lead.
Shubman Gill needs to work on his footwork feels Mohammad Kaif
Shubman Gill’s Test form hasn’t been as convincing, and his numbers have kept getting worse with each game. Despite being shuffled to the No.3, a position Gill himself demanded, the performances haven’t been inspiring. In fact, the numbers have shrunk further since he started batting at a new position.
Mohammad Kaif felt Gill’s technique is based on white-ball cricket and flat decks. According to him, Gill should work on his footwork to succeed in Test cricket. Kaif is also confident that the talented batter will make himself better and start scoring runs consistently.
“Shubman Gill is a very talented batsman, no doubt about that, but his game is of white-ball cricket and flat wickets, which we get in limited-overs internationals. But in Test cricket, you won’t get flat wickets. The ball will bounce, the ball will turn, so Gill has to work on his footwork, and I am sure that he will make the necessary adjustments and will score runs again.”
A string of low scores has put Gill’s position under threat. While he might continue in the second Test, Shubman Gill will be under pressure to perform. He will look to step up in the absence of several first-choice players and silence his critics.
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