IND vs ENG: With significant dip in strike rotation, Shubman faces litmus Test in Vizag Test?

Shubman Gill is a name that is synonymous with raw talent. The budding prospect has time and again let his bat speak huge volumes in white-ball cricket, heralding him as the next big thing in Indian cricket.

While he is poised to dominate the sport in the upcoming years, his jaggedness in red-ball cricket, have certainly left question marks, where the young lad is still figuring out ways to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Although he performed well in patches in Tests, he still hasn’t been able to hit the sweet spot.

IND vs ENG: Shubman Gill fell short of strike rotation

One of the crux of the matter in Test cricket is the strike rotation, which not only gives the batter a confidence to go about his work but also ensures smooth operation in constructing the partnership. As an opener, he has a strike rotation percentage of 27.4 and a boundary conversion rate of 6.6%.

He scored 2 centuries and 4 fifties as an opener but the same hasn’t been said about his performances at No.3 as his strike rotation (22.2%) took a hit when he started playing one down. The Fazilka-born struggled to rotate the strike on a sluggish track in Hyderabad and showed no intent against the spinners. His dot ball percentage increased to 70%, which saw him dig his own grave after finding no way to steer clear of pressure.

IND vs ENG: Can Shubman Gill silence the critics in the 2nd Test?

The 24-year-old who is part of the ongoing Test series against England, struggled to pick up the pace in the Test opener in Hyderabad. He neither played with intent nor had the tenacity to anchor the innings as he could return with scores of 23 and 0 at No.3, a spot where he has failed miserably, showing no signs of improvement.

At one down, he averages 23.62, scoring 189 runs in 9 innings and still has a lot of catching up to do in order to cement his spot in Tests. He will be looking forward to turning the tide in the second Test in Vizag on February 2 and only time will tell whether or not he is the right fit for India at the fulcrum of the batting order.