Shubman Gill Criticized for Throwing Away Wicket in India vs England Test

India‘s young cricketer Shubman Gill faced criticism from cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar for his careless dismissal in the first Test match against England. After working hard to survive the challenging conditions and bat through the first day, Gill played a disappointing shot and gifted his wicket to Tom Hartley, the debutant spinner of the England team.

Gavaskar expressed his disappointment, questioning Gill’s shot selection, stating that it was an ill-executed on-drive. He emphasized that Gill had done all the hard work and then threw away his wicket with a poorly executed shot.

This has become a recurring issue for Gill in his Test career. Despite showing promise with a couple of half-centuries, including a memorable 91 in Brisbane, Gill has struggled to convert his starts into big scores. In his 37 innings, he has crossed the 25-run mark without reaching a half-century on 10 occasions. Gavaskar highlighted that Gill often brings about his own downfall, as seen in previous matches against South Africa where he missed a straight delivery and against Bangladesh and Australia where he couldn’t control his shot selection.

Returning to the India-England match, India finished the first session of Day 2 at 222/3, with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer forming a solid partnership. They ensured that India stayed in control, needing only 24 runs to match England’s first innings total of 246. However, England captain Ben Stokes‘s tactics were questioned as he persisted with Hartley despite the spinner leaking runs and not posing enough threats.

In the larger context, Gill’s performance in Test cricket is a concern. With a test average of only 20 after 20 matches, Gill needs to address his issues with converting starts into substantial scores. His talent and potential have been overshadowed by his inability to capitalize on his early momentum.