Young Indian batter Shubman Gill, who has been seen as the natural successor to India’s modern greats, has demonstrated technical vulnerabilities in the shortest format of the game. While Gill remains a key figure in India’s T20 setup and also serves as the team’s vice-captain in the format, he has not been able to live up to the expectations over the past few games. Most notably, his performance in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa has garnered a lot of pushback, as he has only scored a total of 32 runs across the first three games.
Meanwhile, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, assessing Gill's performance, has brought forward Gill's discomfort against straight deliveries. According to him, deliveries bowled on a straight line, targeting the stumps or the front pad, have caused a visible dip in Gill’s scoring efficiency.
“In the beginning, his footwork was very positive. But if you remove three or four boundaries over 28 games, the issue has been on straighter lines. Against straight deliveries, his strike rate has fallen quite low. Outside the off stump, his strike rate is good, but there have been a few edges as well," Bangar said on JioStar.
“Overall, he has scored runs, but straight-line play is something he will want to improve. In the second game, the ball that got him out was a very good delivery; it could have dismissed any batter. His footwork has improved, and if he continues to play with clear footwork, he will be able to hit the same shots consistently, like the three or four boundaries we’ve seen," he added.
India are gearing up to face South Africa in the fifth and final T20I set to be played on Friday in Ahmedabad.