Post the emphatic form of run in all formats in 2023, India’s new poster boy who is touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket, star batter Shubman Gill in 2024, came in terms with the crickets greatest reality , One day you are up and beaming next day cricket only makes you go down. This reality of the game of cricket is evident from great’s of the game from Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill in conquest of his bright future has to undergo facing this phase of cricket.
Year 2024 in international cricket, is turning to be dreadful year for Shubman Gill who after return from Dengue in the ICC World Cup 2023 has somehow failed to show his batting prowess in all formats of the game. However with T20I World Cup in sight this slump in form is a worrying sign for Indian superstar who is touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket and would eagerly look to amend his form sooner.
Shubman Gill as IPL captain for Gujarat Titans(GT)in 2024
Even before the hammer in the IPL auction of 2023 went down this time, the recently formed successful Gujarat Titans (GT) franchise created news during the trade window itself as the Ahmedabad based franchise had to let go of their most successive captain Hardik Pandya who returned to his previous franchise Mumbai Indians. With everyone speculating Kane Williamson to be next in line ,Gujarat Titans spun in the surprise to go with Indian sensation new age superstar Shubman Gill as captain for the 2024 season.
Gill’s elevation to captaincy could be a reward for his brilliant outing int the IPL last time out. He was the leading run-scorer in IPL 2023, scoring 890 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 157.80, including three tons and four half-centuries. However his inability to stay on crease while batting in the shortest format has raised questions about his capabilities as an opener in the format with the likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal slowly rising the ranks in the shorter format for India post 2023.
Gill also had a decent World Cup which was acceptable as he was recovering from dengue. However his slump in form when full to fitness remains the concern for India. In the recent Afghanistan opening T20I match at Mohali, his hometown after a decent start gifted away his wicket. This has raised concerns amongst may former cricketers regarding Shubman’s future and Pakistan former left hander and captain Salman Butt has raised his voice over the same.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt on Indian future star Shubman Gill’s future in T20 format
Team India opener Shubman Gill has been under the scanner following a string of poor performances in T20 cricket. He was also left out of the playing XI for the recently concluded second T20I against Afghanistan. Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that Gill needs to change his approach. He pointed out how the youngster has often thrown away his wicket after getting off to good starts.
Suggesting that Gill should focus on batting for longer periods, here’s what Salman Butt said in his latest YouTube video:
“I think Shubman Gill has done an injustice to his talent in the last few games. He is too good a player and has too much skill for the kind of hurry that he has been showing. He scores 20-odd and then plays a loose shot. This is what he wasn’t doing when he had a successful year. He just needs to bat and bat without doing anything special. He needs to realize that even if you are the best batter in the world, you can’t play every ball on your own terms. You have to react to the ball instead of dictating it,”
Shubman Gill was dismissed for 23 runs off 12 balls in the first T20I against Afghanistan. He performed underwhelmingly in the T20I series against South Africa as well, registering scores of 0 and 8.
Similar to what Shaheen Afridi used to do – Salman Butt on Arshdeep Singh’s bowling exploits
Salman Butt seemed mighty impressed by Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh’s recent bowling exploits. He mentioned that that left-arm seamer has been bowling quite similar to how Shaheen Afridi does when he is on song.
Speaking about the lanky seamer’s ability to swing the ball both ways, he said:
“Arshdeep Singh was impressive with the new ball. A good thing about him is that he tries to swing the new ball instead of looking to bowl fast, similar to what Shaheen Afridi used to do when he was successful. Arshdeep is capable of swinging the ball both ways.”
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep has claimed three wickets from two games in the ongoing series. India have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead by winning the first two encounters. The third and final match will take place at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17.
With the ICC T20I World Cup taking place within few months down the lane and the marquee IPL 2024 season taking place in March, Shubman Gill who is set to play majority of matches in India starting with India – England test series in January 2024, would look to gain his lost form and start garnering runs in all formats of the game thus proving his stature as an upcoming bright talent of Indian cricket .