Ind vs Eng 2021: Pressure will be on Shubman Gill – VVS Laxman

Former Indian batsman and now a commentator VVS Laxman believes opener Shubman Gill will be under pressure after he was dismissed for a blob in the first innings of the ongoing fourth Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday. Gill was plumbed in front of the wickets by England veteran fast bowler James Anderson on the third ball of the innings.

After impressing one and all on the Australian tour, where Gill scored a total of 259 runs in three Test matches at an average of 51.80, it has been a downhill journey for him from there. Gill has returned with scores of 29, 50, 0, 14, 11, 15*, and 0 in the ongoing series as he has failed to convert his start into substantial scores.

The flamboyant batsman has scored a total of 119 runs at a paltry average of 19.83 in the seven innings. Thus, Gill will need to turn the tables as Laxman stated that the likes of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are waiting in the wings to get their opportunities.

“I just felt once he got starts, he did not convert them into big scores and now the pressure will be on him, you also have to remember you’ve got KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal waiting for their opportunities,” Laxman said.

Furthermore, Gill has been troubled by the incoming delivery to him. The right-hander was once again dismissed by a ball coming into him as his head was falling over. Consequently, the youngster will need to sort out the technical glitches in his batting.

“Definitely (he needs to work against the incoming deliveries) especially on a wicket like this which is a flat one compared to the previous pitches in Chennai and Ahmedabad. 

“He’s got a little bit of a technical issue. You can see his head is falling over, his right leg is coming across just to overcompensate,” Laxman said in the post-match show on Star Sports. 

The pitch was challenging in the previous two Test matches but Gill will be disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to score big on this track. The right-hander has shown the skills to go a long way in his career and he will aim to get back into form.

England was skittled out for a sub-par score of 205 and India finished with 24-1 at the end of the first day.