When Shubman Gill dominated all the ODI batting charts in 2023, it looked like we would witness a ‘master-apprentice’ duo for the first time since Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. After all, Virat Kohli, in his second wind as an ODI batter, was a perfect “master” to Gill’s youthful but high-ceiling potential. But fast forward now; Gill has not touched the heights we all thought he would, almost 6 years after his debut.
High hopes dashed in BGT
We are amidst a high-octane Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Gill has now been part of three of these historic series, including the famous 2020/21 triumph Down Under. He even played a vital role in that rubber, hammering a mach-winning 91 in the fourth innings of the Gabba Test. However, since then, his numbers have dwindled down massively. Kudos to Gill for making the most of the opportunities he got in India’s home season. He played a total of 9 Tests at home this year, racking up three hundreds and as many fifties.
Lean patch in Australia for Gill
However, since his ton against Bangladesh in the second innings in Chennai, Gill has endured a lean patch. In fact, since then, he has made just 239 runs across nine innings at 27.66. Mind you, this period includes 5 innings at home too. Gill’s poor form has continued with him in Australia as well, with him mustering just 60 runs at 20.00 in three innings. To his credit, Gill missed a vital few days in his preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He had to sit out from the opening Test in Perth before fully recovering from a finger injury he got while playing a match simulation against India A. Regardless, Gill got to play the practice game against the Prime Minister’s XI, where he even made a 50. But when the real deal came, Gill faltered—both in Adelaide and in Brisbane.
There’s no second thought that all eight of Gill’s boundaries have looked like a million dollars in the ongoing series, but his technique has let him down. Predominantly an upright player who likes pace on the ball, Gill has and will find it hard to weather the early storm against Australian pace attack. With some lateral movement and now wobble seam, Gill’s “frontfoot” mindset might make it difficult for him in these conditions.
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Virat Kohli’s troubles mirror Shubman Gill’s struggles
Another player who has faltered “technically” Down Under has been Gill’s idol Virat Kohli. The modern-day master just hasn’t left balls outside off-stump—his long-term ailing conflict. His refusal to leave balls in the channel outside off continues to undermine his innings and, by extension, it hugely affects the team as well. In the last innings he batted, Josh Hazlewood used the same ploy. Kohli’s poor Test form is a mystery to none now, with him averaging just 13.22 in 1st innings this year.
While Kohli has surely received huge flak from his critics over his technique, one should not forget that the onus of making runs shouldn’t just be Kohli. Gill, who has had an awful last three years overseas, should make amends quickly too. Hear this: In the last three years, Gill has averaged a mere 16.90 (186 runs in 11 innings) while batting in SENA countries. His numbers are extremely poor considering Pujara, who got replaced by Gill, has 244 runs at 24.4 in the same period in similar conditions.
Shubman Gill Test record in 2024: Home & Away
| 2024 | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 17 | 760 | 119* | 50.66 | 3 | 3 | 73 | 18 |
| Away | 3 | 5 | 106 | 36 | 21.20 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
Indian batters in SENA ft. Gill
| Player | Inn. | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| KL Rahul | 15 | 574 | 41.00 | 2 | 3 |
| Virat Kohli | 17 | 553 | 34.56 | 1 | 2 |
| Rishabh Pant | 13 | 485 | 40.41 | 2 | 1 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 8 | 271 | 33.87 | 0 | 2 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 6 | 252 | 42.00 | 1 | 1 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 10 | 244 | 24.4 | 0 | 2 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 10 | 243 | 27.00 | 1 | 0 |
| Shubman Gill | 11 | 186 | 16.90 | 0 | 0 |
| Nitish Reddy | 5 | 179 | 44.75 | 0 | 0 |
Shubman Gill’s struggles in overseas conditions are overshadowed by the spotlight on Virat Kohli’s slump, but they warrant equal attention. If Gill aspires to be a cornerstone of India’s batting lineup, he must adapt and deliver in challenging conditions. The comparisons to Tendulkar and Kohli will remain distant dreams unless Gill addresses his vulnerabilities and finds consistency beyond home soil.
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