Saba Karim has stated that he looks at Shubhman Gill as a versatile player who can bat really well in the top order. Gill was the highest run-scorer in the recent series against West Indies with 205 runs and Karim also backed him to lead his state team in the domestic circuit in the future.
India recently registered a clean sweep over West Indies in the ODI series and Shubhman Gil played a crucial role in the team’s dominant display. Gill scored 205 runs at 102.50 from three matches including two half-centuries. In the third and final ODI of the series, Gill played a scintillating knock of unbeaten 98 runs.
Former India cricketer Saba Karim opined that he is a versatile player and can bat very well in the top order.
“I look at him as a versatile player because, at this stage, one has seen him bat so well for India as an opener. But given the opportunity, I'm sure he can do well at number three, number four and I think mostly in the T20 format, you look at players who can bat number one, number two and number three. So, I think in that kind of a mould, Shubman Gill can fit in quite easily,” Karim was quoted as saying on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.
Gill has been also doing well in IPL and domestic circuits in recent years. Karim backed him to lead his state team in the domestic circuit.
“I think it's good to get some kind of experience. And I feel one year, two years around the line we may see Shubman elevated to lead one of these on the India T20 league. And I think once he gets that kind of experience, in addition, he can manage to lead Punjab in the domestic level that will really board well for him,” he stated.
India have been putting a fine performance in white-ball cricket recently. They first won ODI and T20I series against England. West Indies was trumped with a clean sweep in ODIs and the team has earned a 1-0 lead in the T20I series. However, in spite of these victories, the team has been consistently changing the opening partner of Rohit Sharma. The latest addition to the changes was Suryakuamr Yadav who became the seventh batter to open the innings for India this calendar year.
In the previous series, the team management went with the opening pair of Rishabh Pant and Rohit. Parthiv Patel believes that the team management is doing these changes in the opening pair to fit Virat Kohli into the playing XI.
"All these changes we are seeing in the opening order, that's happening because they want to try and fit in Virat Kohli in that XI. That's the reason we are seeing Surya and Rishabh Pant opening. That's something I feel," Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.
Kohli’s dip in form has been quite a concern for the national team for a long time now. He hasn’t scored any century for over three years in any format. In the England series, his highest score was 17 in white-ball cricket. Parthiv has suggested Kohli to consider playing ODIs to get back to form.
"I definitely would have (liked to see him in T20Is). I would have liked to see him play the one-day series,” he stated.
"It is an easier option of coming back to form. There are fifty overs, there's a lot of time. Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill came back to run-scoring with almost a run-a-ball. He is a legend of the game."
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