Shubman Gill has had a string of low scores after having one of the best Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. He was the star performer for the finalists, Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023.
India participated in the World Test Championship final after the IPL 2023. Gill, the hero of the IPL 2023, was unable to have an impact against Australia, scoring just 13 and 18.
India is now playing in West Indies following the WTC championship, where the squad has chosen to experiment in the ODIs. The management rested star players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the second ODI and went with the youngsters instead.
Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill shared 90 runs for the first wicket as they opened the innings. However, Ishan Kishan got a second half-century while Gill only managed 34 runs while striking at 69.4.
Rahul Dravid defends Shubman Gill
Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India, expressed support for the young batter after questions were asked about his performance. He said, “I won’t worry so much about Shubman. He is batting really well, he looks really good. It can happen, you can’t criticise people after every single game. These things can happen, it’s not easy batting conditions. We needed to grind and fight it out there. Shubman is an important part of all the three formats now.”
Rahul Dravid praises Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan’s tour has been much different from Shubman Gill’s, who has had a forgettable one thus far. Ishan Kishan, who bats first for India, has half-centuries in both ODIs so far. Regarding his performance, Rahul Dravid praised Kishan for maximising the chance. He said, “Ishan has done really well. This is the third fifty in a row now counting the Test matches. He is taking the opportunities when he is given the chance. That’s all we ask from young players.”
India won the opening ODI but fell short in the follow-up. With the team batting first, they only managed 181. The home team won the game by four wickets after completing the total in 37 overs. The final ODI will take place on Tuesday before the teams move on to the five-match T20I series.
The ODI series is of utmost importance for India with only limited matches remaining before the Asia Cup and the all-important World Cup. On the other hand, for West Indies, this series is a start to their rebuilding of the white-ball setup. The 1975 and 1979 World Cup winners failed to qualify for the first time in their cricket history.
Also Read: World Cup 2023: How does the schedule benefit India?
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