KL Rahul expressed his support for his teammate Shubman Gill, who has faced challenges as India’s No.3 batter in Test cricket. On Day 2 of the ongoing Hyderabad Test against England, Gill was dismissed for 23 off 66 balls. While former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen criticized Gill for blocking most deliveries and not rotating strike, Rahul defended him, stating that Gill walked out to bat late on Day 1, and the situation demanded playing for stumps.
KL Rahul, in a conversation with Kevin Pietersen on Jio Cinema after the end of play on Day 2, shared his perspective on Shubman Gill’s dismissal. Rahul expressed that he considers Gill’s dismissal as a learning curve that will contribute to his growth and development as a cricketer. Rahul said,
“He (Gill) is a top-class cricketer. He does play spin really, really well. We’ve seen that in white-ball cricket. It’s about time that, he learnt from it.”
KL Rahul added,
“I mean, you know, I’m sure he didn’t want to get himself into a situation where he had to go over the top or had to had to play a shot just to break free. But yeah, that happens to all batters. And I’m sure he’s already there thinking about what he’ll do in the next one,”
KL Rahul played a crucial innings, scoring 86 runs, to guide India to a strong position on Day 2 of the Test match against England in Hyderabad. His performance contributed significantly to India’s total of 421/7, giving them a substantial lead of 175 runs over England’s first-innings score.
“ What kind of a shot was he looking to play?“- Sunil Gavaskar on Shubman Gill
Sunil Gavaskar, the former legendary Indian opener, expressed disappointment with Shubman Gill’s shot selection on Day 2 of the Test match against England in Hyderabad. Gill chipped a delivery straight to Ben Duckett at short mid-wicket, prompting Gavaskar to criticize the choice of shot. Gavaskar said,
“He (Gill) has done all the hard work, Shubman Gill and then you see a shot like that. Very, very disappointing. What kind of a shot was he look to play? One can understand if he was looking to play it in the air,”
Shubman Gill is under mounting pressure to establish himself at the No.3 position, given his continuous failures. Since occupying that slot in the West Indies in July last year, Gill played nine Test innings, in which the right-hander has managed just 189 runs at an underwhelming average of 23.62.