IND vs PAK: Gautam Gambhir Heaps Praise On Shubman Gill After His 58-Run Knock Vs Pakistan, Says 'If The Ball Doesn't Swing Much, He Can Be Extremely Attacking'

Former India opener, Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on Shubman Gill after his 58-run knock against Pakistan in the third Super Fours match on Sunday (September 10th) at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and said that if the ball is not swinging, then the youngster can be attacking.

Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma opened for India in the first inning, making a solid partnership of 121 runs. Rohit Sharma scored 56 runs from 49 balls with a strike rate of 114.29. On the other hand, Gill played 52 balls and 58 runs with a strike rate of 111.54 and helped India dominate in the match’s initial stage.

However, after the 24.1 overs, the game was stopped as rain washed off the match. The high voltage match between India and Pakistan will be resumed on the reserve day on Monday (September 11th).

While speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said that the condition in Colombo is very different from Kandy and also added that Shubman Gill’s performance helped Rohit Sharma to play without any pressure.

“The conditions were also different. The conditions you got in Kandy, you won’t get those conditions in Colombo. It was overcast in Kandy but it was quite sunny when Shaheen Shah Afridi started in Colombo. If the ball doesn’t swing much, Shubman Gill can be extremely attacking.

“You didn’t get to see much swing but I believe the way Shubman batted, if someone removed the pressure from Rohit Sharma, it was Shubman Gill. He played exceptional shots – towards mid-off, over the bowler’s head and then the cover drive. We got to see all types of shots and this was Shubman’s class,” Gautam Gambhir said.

It shows how differently Shubman Gill batted: Gautam Gambhir

The former India player explained how differently Shubman Gill batted in the first inning and said that at one stage Gill was on 45 whereas Rohit Sharma was on 15. Gambhir also raised Rohit Sharma for facing the Pakistani pacer without any pressure.

“At one stage, Shubman Gill was on 45 and Rohit Sharma was on 15 or 16. It shows how differently Shubman Gill batted. No doubt Rohit Sharma played Naseem Shah extremely well because considering the exceptional spell he was bowling, some other batter could have been nicked off had he tried to attack him.

“So this is also experience, that who is bowling well and whom you need to see off. I remember Rohit Sharma leaving the last ball off Naseem Shah’s fifth over after hitting two fours because he knew it was the last ball of his spell. If he had gotten out to that ball, the next batter might have been under greater pressure,” Gautam Gambhir added.

In the fourth Super Fours match of the Asia Cup 2023, India will lock horns against Sri Lanka on Tuesday (September 12th) at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.