Shubman Gill, one of India's most promising young players, is facing heavy criticism after a poor performance in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. Gill managed to score just 93 runs in five innings in Australia, which left fans and cricket experts extremely disappointed.
Now, former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath has made a bold and controversial statement about Shubman Gill, claiming that the Punjab lad would have been dropped from the Indian cricket team if he hailed from Tamil Nadu after a series of poor performances in Test cricket.
Subramaniam Badrinath criticizes Shubman Gill for lack of intent and aggression in BGT 2024-25
Not only did right-hander Subramaniam Badrinath criticize his poor numbers, he also criticized his inability to adapt to difficult conditions and contribute to the team in ways beyond scoring in the recent five-match Test series against Australia, which won the 2024-25 BGT by a 3-1 margin. .
Also Read: Nitish Kumar Reddy snubbed as Michael Vaughan picks XI for Border-Gavaskar Trophy
He pointed out that Shubman Gill, with an average of just over 35 after 32 Tests, had failed to show the grit and determination required at the highest level. He mentioned Australians Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan McSweeney, who, despite their struggles, managed to thwart India's pace attack by occupying the crease and wearing down bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah.
Criticizing Gill's approach, Subramaniam Badrinath argued that the Indian batsman lacked intent and aggression, and failed to bowl long innings to help the Indian cricket team. While Labuschagne and McSweeney played crucial defensive shots that helped their team stay competitive, Badrinath said he wasn't really impressed with Gill's performance at all.
If Shubman Gill had been from Tamil Nadu, he would have been left out: Subramaniam Badrinath
The commentator also emphasized that a batsman's contribution is to support his teammates, tire out the bowlers, and keep the innings together, not just score runs, and Gill failed in every aspect on Australia's last tour.
“If this had been Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been left out. It is very difficult for me to see this. And at this level, he has not lived up to expectations. You can run. You can't,” Badrinath said on Star Sports Tamil. But there had to be intent and aggression. I wanted him to tire the bowlers out. I want you to make the ball old.
Help your teammates and stay consistent even if there are no rounds. Play 100 balls, tire out the bowlers. This is your team's contribution (it's supposed to be). Labuschagne and McSweeney did that in two games. By playing too many dot balls, they actually caused injury to Bumrah.
Also Read: Rahul Dravid's name dropped as Harbhajan Singh blames Gautam Gambhir for India's downfall
Couldn't stay at slip and point: Badrinath questions Gill's place in the India team
To make matters worse, Gill's performance on the field also came under scrutiny. The former Indian cricketer also criticized Gill's playing style, saying he could not even be put in the slips while questioning his overall value to the team. He pointed out that Gill not only failed to perform as a batsman but also faltered in his fielding responsibilities in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Badrinath concluded his speech by saying: “You should not go there and say: ‘Oh, this is the way I play.’ I will stand up and deliver. Four people will write about it. Whatever you can do, at that time, try to do it. In this series I didn't get it from Shubman. Even on the field, he was poor. He couldn't stay at one point. What does he offer the team?
