'What Does Gill Contribute To The Team?'

'He has not lived up to expectations.'
'If this was Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped.'

Shubman Gill's struggles in Test cricket continued during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

He managed just 93 runs in five innings, averaging under 20.

Gill missed the series opener in Perth because of an injury and was excluded from the playing XI in Melbourne as the team opted for three all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath did not hold back in his criticism of Gill's performances, pointing out both his below-par contributions with the bat and his shortcomings in the field.

Speaking on Star Sports Tamil, Badrinath questioned Gill's approach and accused him of lacking the intent and discipline required at the highest level.

'For that level, he has not lived up to expectations,' Badrinath said.

'You can get runs, you cannot, but there should have been intent and aggression. I wanted him to tire out the bowlers.'

Badrinath compared Gill's lack of grit to the determination shown by Australia's Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne during the Adelaide Test.

'Labuschagne and McSweeney did that in a couple of games. By playing out a lot of dot balls, they had actually made Bumrah injured. I want you to make the ball old. Help your team-mates and stand firm even if runs are not coming. Play 100 balls, tire the bowlers. This is what your team contribution (is supposed to be).'

Badrinath highlighted how Gill threw away his wicket after getting set in Adelaide and Sydney.

'In the Adelaide Test, he looked good in the middle but gave his wicket away unnecessarily. The same thing happened in the Sydney Test when he danced down the track and got out to Nathan Lyon on the last ball before lunch on Day 1.'

'If this was Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped,' Badrinath said.

He also questioned Gill's overall contribution to the team, particularly his fielding. 'You must not go there and say, "Oh, this is the way I play. I will stand and deliver. Four people will write about it." Whatever you can do, at that time, you try and do.'

'In this series, I did not get it from Shubman. Even on the field, he was poor. He couldn't stay in slip and point. What does he contribute to the team?'

Since his Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 2020, Gill has played 32 matches and averages a little over 35, a figure that falls short of the expectations surrounding his potential.