Former India plaer and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has lashed out at Shubman Gill for his poor performances outside Asia, saying that the Indian No. 3 batter is a “highly overrated cricketer.” Apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal, no Indian batter has done well throughout the series in Australia. While Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul have shown glimpses of their good knocks, they have struggled to perform as a unit.
“I’ve always maintained that Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer, but nobody listened to me. He is a highly overrated cricketer,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
However, Kris Srikkanth also questioned the selectors for sticking with Shubman Gill for an extended period while denying similar opportunities to players like Suryakumar Yadav as well. Notably, Suryakumar was dropped after a single outing against Australia in Nagpur and he has since been confined to white-ball cricket as well.
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“When Gill is getting such a long rope, some people might wonder why even players like Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t have been given a longer run in Tests. Suryakumar didn’t have the best start in Tests, but he has the technique and ability. Yet, the selectors and management have boxed him into being a white-ball specialist. So now, fresh talent needs to be looked at.”
Kris Srikkanth also urged the team management to consider players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan, who, according to him, deserve opportunities ahead of Gill.
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“Ruturaj Gaikwad, for instance, has been performing brilliantly in first-class cricket, but he hasn’t been picked. Similarly, Sai Sudharsan has been outstanding on ‘A’ tours. These are the players who should be promoted. Instead, the selectors are stuck in a loop with Gill. Gill is surviving because he gets ten chances and scores on the tenth after nine failures. That keeps him in contention for another ten chances. Anyone can score runs on Indian wickets, but the real challenge is performing in overseas conditions, particularly in SENA countries. That’s where players like KL Rahul have proven themselves,” Kris Srikkanth
