IND vs AUS: 'He has good strokes, but..' - Cheteshwar Pujara warns Shubman Gill for BGT 2024-25

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As Test cricket continues to evolve, batters are increasingly carrying their white-ball aggression into the red-ball format. With the BGT series less than a day away from the kick-off, all eyes will be on youngster Shubman Gill, who is expected to dictate terms after having previously thrived in the previous tour Down Under.

Meanwhile, India's Test specialist, Cheteshwar Pujara, who is currently out of the red-ball scheme of things, has pitched in with a piece of golden advice to Shubman Gill ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy series 2024/25.

Shubman Gill should play his natural game: Cheteshwar Pujara

The Rajkot-born echoed his thoughts on Shubman Gill, adding that the latter has already proven himself on Australian soil in the previous tour Down Under. The senior pro stressed the fact that Gill shouldn't curb his natural instincts and wanted him to go about his work.

“Shubman Gill has played in Australia, so he should play the way he naturally does. He has good strokes, but in Australian conditions, he needs to be cautious about the selection of shots,” Pujara told the reporters during a candid interaction with Star Sports press. Furthermore, he also cautioned the youngster to adapt his stroke play to the unique demands of bouncy pitches.

Pujara wanted Gill to identify which balls to attack and which to leave on the Australian conditions, where aggressive strokes can be risky and lead to demoralizing dismissals.

Test cricket hasn't been his strong suit but the 25-year-old has started to pick up lessons on the go and is expected to bring the best out of himself in the upcoming BGT series. Overall, he scored 1800 runs in 29 Tests, including five centuries and seven fifties.

In the 2020/21 BGT series Down Under, he scored 259 runs in 3 games, laced with two fifties, including a match-winning 91 at Australia's fortress, The Gabba in Brisbane, which India famously scripted a three-wicket win and ultimately won the series by 2-1.

Overall, he amassed 444 runs in six games at an average of 44.40, including 1 century and 2 fifties against Australia in Test cricket.