IND vs SL: 'Shubman Gill Needs To Start Finishing Matches Like Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma' - Dinesh Karthik

Veteran India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has said that the 24-year-old opener Shubman Gill needs to start finishing the matches for his team like the modern-day batting greats – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – have done over the years.

Gill played an innings of the highest quality against Bangladesh in the last Super Four game of Asia Cup 2023 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. However, he wasn’t able to remain unbeaten and steer his team towards victory.

Shubman Gill scored 121 runs off 133 balls, including 8 fours and 5 sixes, before getting dismissed by Mahedi Hasan in the 44th over and India faced a 6-run defeat in the match.

Speaking on Cricbuzz after the match, Dinesh Karthik said that the shot played by Gill during his dismissal was not a bad one.

“Yes, he would have ideally liked to finish it, but I won’t consider it a bad shot. On these kind of pitches, to play those shots consistently was always going to be a challenge,” he said.

The veteran wicketkeeper-batter added that Gill has already established himself as an all-format player and he has all the potential to finish and win games for India.

“He stepped up that part [playing all three formats]. He needs to step up one more part where he starts winning matches like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma over the years. He has the potential to do that and he will definitely win a lot of games for India,” the gloveman said.

Dinesh Karthik Criticizes Ravindra Jadeja

Dinesh Karthik also criticized Ravindra Jadeja for not stepping up with the bat in white-ball cricket. Karthik said that Jadeja has been a phenomenal performer in Test cricket, but has been struggling with his batting performance in white-ball cricket.

“And Ravindra Jadeja, for his batting. For some time now, he has been phenomenal in Test cricket, very very effective, and trustworthy. But in the white-ball formats, he hasn’t been at his best with batting. He is a key player. Whenever he has done well for India, take the 2013 Champions Trophy, take any tournament India has done well, he has been a very critical performer and he needs to step up with the bat.

“In case, he doesn’t have a great game with the ball, India can still manage. But if he is not scoring runs with the bat, it could be an issue for Team India,” Karthik said.

In the match against Bangladesh, Jadeja was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman. On the fourth ball of the 38th over, Mustafizur bowled a length delivery that was angling in and Jadeja looked to go big by heaving across the line but was beaten and his middle stump was uprooted. Jadeja scored just 7 runs off 12 balls, before walking back to the hut. Overall, Mustafizur has dismissed him three times in 26 balls in ODIs.