Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik pointed out Shubman Gill's 'technical error' in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, where he has managed to score just 60 runs across three innings on the tour so far.
With mounting pressure on India's batting after poor shows in Adelaide and Brisbane, the stakes are high for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with the five-Test series currently levelled at 1-1.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gill failed to deliver in the top order while Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and captain Rohit Sharma had dismal shows in the middle order in the last two Tests.
According to Karthik, Gill has not changed his approach in overseas conditions and that is the main reason why he has been struggling in Australia.
"I think Shubman Gill definitely got a slight technical error, which is pushing at the ball. When you play a lot of white ball cricket, you tend to do that. Even Travis Head does that but what he has found his method of doing that, and I think that players like Shubman Gill are caught in the trap of the way they bat in India and the way they bat outside," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
"Which is, the moment you see the ball released from the bowler, your mind tells you that this is a full ball you need to go at it. Batsmen who travel abroad to places like Australia, England and South Africa tune themselves in practice when they see a fuller ball like that, especially against a new ball - A) they play with slightly soft hands, or B) they try and focus on playing the ball as close to the body or leave.".
"Shubman Gill is playing like he would play in India, where he sees the release, and goes for the ball with hard hands. Now in Australia, sometimes, in places like the Gabba, playing square of the wickets is much easier than in front. So at the start of the innings, you have to tell yourself that, I have to leave," he added.
Karthik concluded saying, "It has been quite some time that Gill has been a part of the cricketing circuit, and it is just not acceptable for him to lose his wicket to careless shots. Gill got caught at the Gabba when he attempted an over-ambitious drive on his front foot.
"For a No.3 batsman who has been around for so long, Shubman Gill has played very ordinary shots, there are no mincing words there. And let's be honest here, that the Indian batting, as a group, have not fired here for some time now, and with every passing innings, they are putting pressure on themselves," Karthik concluded.
The fourth Test between India and Australia will begin on December 26.
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