Schulman Gill has just one problem with his batting: the slow weight transfer onto the front foot. Twice this ODI series, he has paid for that mistake off Ramada. In the past, in Indian conditions again, Kyle Jamieson (twice), James Anderson and Mohammed Shame have penalized Schulman Gill for the same error, cleaning up the sticks.
It’s fascinating how this seemingly small problem has remained uncertified for a few years now. Gill has such a lovely all-round game, so adept against bounce and superb against spin – R Ashwin rates him one of the toughest batsmen to bowl to – that many commentators turn wishy-washy when addressing this issue. It does feel a small matter to bring up on air, or print, but it’s there, staring at us all. It still doesn’t seem a big deal, not an insurmountable problem, but it’s also fascinating to track how a young talented batsman deals with it. It’s sort of a problem that once you see it as an observer, it becomes difficult to unseen.
It’s been written on these pages before, but here is a brief reminder. It stems from his childhood training on cement tracks. On cement, the back foot becomes an instinctive play, and the front foot something to be worked on. Batting is about transferring weight and being still when playing a shot. At the top level, one needs to be strong on the back foot but still have the balance and skill to play under the eyes, and be in a position to transfer the weight forward.
Gill’s first move is to step back, then the front foot side-steps to his right and often opens up a little, before he presses down into his stance, crouches a little – for balance, ready to spring out. Even when the ball is relatively full, he doesn’t move forward that much. He can occasionally push his hands at the ball without actually transferring his weight forward, especially against pacers. It’s a potential area of weakness that good bowlers will target on less bouncy surfaces. The key is to draw him forward, as he likes to sit back on the back foot. It helps him on pitches with bounce, as we saw in Australia, where he unfurled a couple of dreamy knocks.
There seems to be a reluctance in him, or rather a decision arrived at after considerable thought, that the status quo is better. This is how he put it to this newspaper recently.
“There are one or two important elements. Like your shoulder should be aligned towards the ball, you should be a little side-on while playing, you should be in a good position even if your feet are not moving that well. If you are positioned well in relation to the ball, you will manage… When we play in India, there isn’t that much bounce. Most deliveries stay low. That (reducing the shuffle) was one adjustment I made after talking to our batting coach. I felt I should restrict my initial movement a bit. The ball doesn’t swing much in India either, so the lesser the movement in your body, the better it will be for you.”
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