India Cricket Team opener Shubman Gill has got the backing of head coach Rahul Dravid despite his poor run of form in Test. Even though Gill has had an outstanding year in ODIs, scoring over 1500 runs, the same form has not been reflected in Test cricket. But with the IND vs ENG Test series beginning on Jan 25, he has a chance to redeem his form. Dravid believes the Test pitches have been tough in 2023, leading to Gill’s poor run of form.
“To be fair to him a lot of young guys coming through are playing on some challenging wickets, whether it’s been in India or England or West Indies. It has been a pretty challenging wicket for the last two or three years,” Rahul Dravid said at a press conference ahead of IND vs ENG 1st Test.
Can Shubman Gill redeem his form?
In 2023, Shubman Gill was a tormentor in ODIs, scoring 1584 runs in 29 matches. He also had five centuries, nine half-centuries and a double ton to his name. He averaged 63.36 in those games.
But in red-ball cricket, that average dipped to 28.66. Since 2023 Jan, Shubman Gill has scored only 304 runs which also includes a century.
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However, in the other 11 innings, he has crossed the 30-run mark only once. In the South Africa series, he only scored 2, 26, 36 and 10. However, Rahul Dravid has backed him to succeed in the ultimate format.
“Gill is a fine player. Starting out as a journey as a cricketer sometimes we forget that it takes a little bit of time at times. Some guys have success instantly, actually, he is one of those guys who has done really well in some of his early days, especially in Australia,” Rahul Dravid said.
“He is doing all the right things. He is working really hard. He is putting in the time, putting in the effort. In the last season he has got a couple of nice hundreds for us one in Bangladesh and one in Ahmedabad against Australia. I think he is on the right track,” added Dravid.
The post Tough pitches: Rahul Dravid backs under fire Shubman Gill to shine in IND vs ENG Test series appeared first on Inside Sport India.