Shubman Gill can be tried in all formats of cricket

Fundamentals in batting will remain the same but it would be a good idea to test the new guys.

Shubman Gill can be tried in all formats of cricket

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is the new rock star of Indian cricket after SKY — Surya Kumar Yadav. On Wednesday, when the 23-year-old Punjabi Puttar set the stadium ablaze with an amazing knock of 126 against the Black Caps, social media went berserk. In the last few weeks, Gill has been in the form of his life. He shone in the company of Virat Kohli in the ODIs and now in the T20 format he is again a huge threat.

For someone who was the vice-captain of the under-19 side a few years ago, Gill had got his chances a few years ago. There were more misses than hits and he had to cool his heels. The good thing in Indian cricket, these days, is, a player out of form does not go into the wilderness. A player like Gill can bounce back.

The sheer volume of cricket played these days gives all the boys and men a chance to come back. Who would have thought SKY — Surya Kumar Yadav — would explode like a cannonball last year, specifically in the ICC T20 World Cup when he rocked in Australia.

SKY was described by punters and pundits for his batting technique and style reminiscent of ABD’s 360-degree batting. AB de Villiers had shown how he could whack the bowlers to all corners of the park. Cricket statisticians like the wagon wheel, which captures the shots created by a batter. Surya was like Sun God, shining, and throwing light and velocity in his hits.

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Star cricketer Shubman Gill has sparkled in white ball cricket, now Tests beckon him

Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill

Now comes Gill, a youngster who looks set for big things. People can marvel at his hitting ability and so on but it is in the mind he has emerged as a player with strength. To hammer the rival bowlers in the IPL is one thing. In international cricket, be it a white ball or a red ball, since so much distinction is made these days, players like SKY and Gill will be noticed.

For purists, white ball cricket is not the real thing. These days, when Test cricket also sees fierce batting and a team puts on over 375 runs per day or even chases in the 350-plus region in the fourth innings. A lot has changed. One cannot be cussed in thinking SKY and Gill needs to be treated with kid gloves.

Agreed, like the proverbial goose which lays the golden egg, you cannot kill it in the greed of extracting all the eggs in one go. However, the fresher and fitter players like SKY and Gill have it in them to evolve in all formats. There is nothing like a tradition where only those with red-ball batting skills can make it to the Test team. If you want to throw someone into the deep end of the pool, there is nothing wrong.

There may be an issue where to juggle the batting order. However, there is no harm in pushing the blokes like SKY and Gill into the Test squad. The four-Test Border-Gavaskar series can be a great learning opportunity for these fresh batters as it will probe them. Fundamentals in batting will remain the same but it would be a good idea to test the new guys. Someone like Shreyas Iyer is out with a back issue, so people are going to be in and out.

Again, for those who feel that too much cricket is bad, please note cricketers are professionals and have to perform. For those who cannot shoulder the load, and are aging, physiologically, maybe you need to restrict how many formats they play. Unless, you are a certain Virat Kohli, who has rediscovered the grammar of batting like a Zen master.

Gill must be pressed in all formats. He is a true find, just as Sara Tendulkar has found love in him. Social media is agog with their photos and posts. As it is, with KL Rahul and Axar Patel getting married, 2023 has begun on a good muhurat (time). For Gill, the good time is his batting has clicked in the white ball format so wonderfully. Back the boy and do not exert pressure on him. Results will come.

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