India Vs England: `Shubman Gill Given More Cushion Than Cheteshwar Pujara`, Anil Kumble On What`s Wrong With India`s New No. 3 In Tests

Shubman Gill scored just 23 and 0 in the first two innings of the first Test in Hyderabad, continuing his horrific form in the red-ball cricket.

Shubman Gill's low returns with the bat is haunting him. He has the backing of the management. But at the back of his mind, he knows the backing may not last long if he continues to deliver poor results with the bat. When Cheteshwar Pujara was shown the door post the loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Shubman was give the responsibility from the West Indies tour. He had himself shown interest in batting in that slot. But since the Windies tour, Shubman has not lived up to the billing. 

India great and former head coach Anil Kumble hints that time may be running out for Shubman as he has already been provided with cushion that was not given to his predecessor Cheteshwar Pujara.

Anil Kumble was analysing Shubman's form and said, "He has been given the cushion perhaps even a Cheteshwar Pujara didn’t get, because although he (Pujara) has played over a 100 Tests, I keep coming back to him mainly because that was his place not too long ago. Pujara played in that World Test Championship final and post that, it’s been Shubman Gill, who’s been moving from the opener’s slot, and he himself wanted to bat at No. 3. So, when you want to bat at No. 3 especially in India because you have that talent, you certainly need to work on your game. He has the skills, he is young and he’s learning, but he needs to do it in Vizag, otherwise the pressure will be on him."

Kumble also spoke on Kuldeep Yadav’s chances of making it to the playing XI in the second Test, saying: “I am not really sure whether you need a fourth spinner. But if India feel that they need only one fast bowler then having Kuldeep will certainly help. He will have variations but England will come and do the same things they did in Hyderabad. The wicket could be a turning one and we are expecting the pace to be quicker than this. This was slow but it was a good wicket if you applied yourself. India certainly need to buckle up with their approach to playing against spin because I felt the approach of a couple of batters wasn’t positive and even the footwork wasn’t what you expected. I also felt that they were certainly rattled by the way England approached their batting and with that, they have to come up with plans, some unconventional ones. They never tried any variations so that’s something I am sure they will be looking to do."