Shubman Gill’s defense by India’s batting coach after his first-test failure

Shubman Gill had a disappointing performance in his debut as India’s new no. 3 in Test cricket, being bowled for only six runs in the first Test against the West Indies last week at Roseau (Dominica).

Yashasvi Jaiswal, a rookie, and skipper Rohit Sharma both made 100s during India’s lone innings in the first game of the series. Prior to the team going on to win by an innings and 141 runs over the course of three days, Virat Kohli made a substantial contribution as well, scoring a strong 76.

Gill’s performance in Test cricket, where he has played 31 innings and has an average of 31.96, has drawn criticism. He consciously passed up the opportunity to be the opener in favor of taking the open No. 3 position that appeared when Cheteshwar Pujara was benched for the West Indies trip.

Vikram Rathour, the batting coach for India, defended Gill by saying that it is unfair to evaluate him just on one performance at position three.

According to Rathour, who spoke to media on Sunday, “three openers were expected to play, so one had to go at No. 3. The proposal came from Shubman’s end as his justification was that he had played all of his cricket for Punjab and India A at either No. 3 or 4, and that’s his real slot in longer format is that.”

Rathour says he’s not concerned about the 23-year-old’s performances since he has the ability to slow down and speed up as required.

We cannot evaluate him just on a single inning. He is given a ton of time. He has the skills and disposition to play time if necessary, but he can also play an aggressive game when it’s time to go on. He can advance the game. We need it at No. 3 because it may be useful, he continued.

Prior to striking another century against Australia at home earlier this year, Gill hit his first Test century during the Bangladesh trip last year.

Additionally, he hit a hundred in the most recent series against Australia. Concerns regarding his batting are unfounded. He can alter his strategy as needed, as we have seen. as he did both while he was in Australia and here. Knowing that you must alter your strategy is one thing, but really being able to do so is another. “He can accomplish that,” said Rathour.