Rahul Dravid’s body language did not cut the best figure as the head coach was left visibly upset after Shubman Gill was given out LBW in the third T20I against South Africa. Gill was on 8 off 6 balls when he tried to sweep Keshav Maharaj but missed and hit the pads instead. In real time, it looked plumb. Gill walked over to his partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal and after a brief discussion opted not to take a review. However, as it turned out, he should have. Although the ball pitched in line of the stumps and its impact was spot on too, the ball tracker showed that it would have missed the leg stump. Surprisingly enough, even Jaiswal did not seem convinced enough, hence when the replay appeared on the big screen, Dravid could not hide his frustration. The India coach, seated alongside Vikram Rathour, was seen giving out a huge sigh and muttering some words.
With this, Gill’s rather poor run in 2023 ends. The India batter has registered 8 single-digit scores in 13 innings across his T20I career. While his ODI numbers speak volumes, his returns in the shortest format have been far from satisfactory. Barring a century against New Zealand back in February and a fifty against West Indies last year, Gill has failed to cross fifty even once. Gill’s constant backing, which saw him retain his place in the XI over an in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad – coming off a century against Australia in the third T20I last week, has angered fans, who made the #SackDravid trend on X.
Watch Video: DRS misjudgment ends Shubman Gill’s knock
With only three more T20Is between now and the T20 World Cup, time may be running out for Gill. But then there is the IPL 2024, tentatively starting around end of March, where Gill burned the charts last season with 890 runs and winning the Orange Cap in the process. Besides, who knows? Being elevated to Gujarat Titans captaincy could bring the best out of him, possibly a repeat of IPL 2023.
“There aren’t many T20I before the World Cup. In terms of that, I want to give my best. I have played 11 T20Is. I don’t have too many games under my belt but if you’re able to play the next series in India (against Afghanistan), it will give me confidence. If you are good mentally, it’s all about going in there and executing your plans. At the end of the day, it is all about bat and ball. Once I go on the field, it’s all about focussing on the goal,” he had said before the start of the 2nd T20I in Gqeberha.
Gill will now turn his focus to the ODIs, where he has a stunning record. But even in the format he fancies the most, runs have dried up following his dengue bout in October. Since returning, Gill has creamed four half-centuries in the World Cup alone, but his knack of playing long innings has sort of diminished. Against South Africa, Gill has played four ODIs, scoring 103 runs with a best of 49.
Coming back to Thursday’s match, Jaiswal made up for his error with a sparkling 60 off 41 balls himself, hitting six fours and three sixes along the way. Fortunately for India, Gill’s failure could be brushed under the carpet given their incredible 106-run win over South Africa in the decider that ended the series at 1-1. Suryakumar Yadav’s scintillating century – the fourth of his T20I career and a record-equalling one propelled India to 201/7, after which birthday boy Kuldeep Yadav yielded magic with his left-arm wrist spin. Kuldeep finished with figures of 5/17, skittling the Proteas for a meagre 95. After all, how many players have dished out career-best performances on their birthdays? Not too many, we’re sure.
