Former India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel has lambasted experts for pointing fingers at Shubman Gill after the latter failed in a few games. According to Patel, judgments on a player cannot change after a handful of low scores.
Gill has been having a tough time in the ongoing tour of West Indies. He performed poorly in both the Tests and got dismissed for 7 and 34 in the first two ODIs. After notching up 85 in the deciding one-dayer, he fell for single-figure scores in first three T20Is.
On Saturday (August 12), Gill hammered a brilliant 77 off 47 and featured in a 165-run stand for the first-wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal (84* off 51). Praising Gill, Patel took a dig at the player’s critics, saying on Cricbuzz:
“Shubman Gill was outstanding today. We know the potential of Shubman Gill; we have the tendency of questioning someone who doesn’t get runs. After just a couple of performances here and there, we should not say he can’t play T20s or he can’t play ODIs.
“We need to keep faith in players and an approach. When you are trying to play attacking cricket, you might get out, especially an opener playing T20 format,” he added.
Apart from Gill, Patel was effusive in his praise of Jaiswal and predicted a bright future for him across formats. The former player said:
“Shubman Gill was outstanding with his shot selection, and Yashasvi Jaiswal yet again has shown how good a player he is. He is probably a player of all formats.
“He got a hundred on Test debut and got a fifty in his second T20I. When you score more than 150 in an opening partnership, that 179 target looks really small. That is exactly what India did today.”
Patel added that Jaiswal’s fearless approach with the bat is one of the key factors behind his success. He elaborated about the left-hander’s knock:
“He was fearless; there was no doubt about the shot selection. The reverse-sweep six off Akeal Hosein shows the frame of mind he is in. It doesn’t matter (to him) how he gets out.
“He was on top of his game. Jaiswal is the player for the future, and he will probably serve India in all three formats for a long time.”
Jaiswal was named the Player of the Match for his brilliant knock in which he hit 11 fours and three sixes.
“Real test for Indian youngsters” – Parthiv Patel on decider
India have made a great comeback in the West Indies T20Is after being 2-0 down. They will now look to complete their fightback by clinching the decider. According to Patel, the fifth T20I will be a good test for the young side.
“This is a real test for Indian youngsters. Knockout games can get the best out of you. This is a great test for Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Mukesh Kumar, who has been outstanding with his death bowling.
“This will be a good stepping stone towards that 2024 World Cup. Result will not matter as much. Though India would definitely like to win the series, this will be a great learning curve for Indian youngsters,” the former keeper concluded.
The fifth and final T20I of the India-West Indies series will be played in Florida on Sunday (August 13).