Cricket News

‘You can give him a chance in Shubman Gill’s place’- Former Pakistan cricketer wants a change in India’s playing XI for third T20I against New Zealand

Shubman Gill has been in ominous form in T20 internationals. He has been scoring runs for fun in the limited-over format. He was the highest run-scorer in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, amassing 360 runs in just 3 matches at a staggering average of 180.

However, the Indian opener hasn’t been able to replicate similar performances in the T20 internationals. He failed to impress with the bat in the two T20Is of the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand.

Gill managed to score 7 runs in 6 balls in the first T20I. He had another forgettable outing in the second game, managing just 11 runs in 9 balls. Ahead of the third game, Pakistan’s former spinner, Danish Kaneria has urged team India to replace Shubman Gill with Prithvi Shaw.

“It’s the last game. You’ve seen how Shubman Gill plays. Prithvi Shaw is an exciting young cricketer. He is known for his attacking game. You can give him a chance in Shubman Gill’s place. Shaw has the flair. If he plays consistently, he can do wonders,” Kaneria said.

“No doubt Shubman Gill is a fantastic batter, but he needs to look at the flaws in his batting. He needs to work on playing against spin bowlers. India have won, but there is a need for improvement. At times, there’ll be difficult conditions,” Kaneria added.

Prithvi Shaw has been added to the Indian squad after performing consistently in the domestic circuit. Shaw is yet to feature in the playing XI. It will be interesting to see if he gets a chance in the series decider.

India suffered a defeat in the first match of the series but Hardik Pandya and Co. bounced back with a 6-wicket win in the next game. India restricted New Zealand to just 99 runs but it took them 19.5 overs to chase it down.

The third and final ODI of the series is scheduled to be played on Wednesday at Narendra Modi International Stadium.