"It suits the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara" - Shubman Gill's father unhappy with son batting at no.3 in Tests

India batsman Shubman Gill‘s father, Lakhwinder, has said he does not like his son batting at number three in Tests. The right-handed batsman himself volunteered to bat at that position after Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from the Test team for the West Indies tour last year.

With Shubman Gill batting at number three, the Indian team management got the opportunity to try out Yashasvi Jaiswal in Tests and he has cemented his spot as an opener. On the other hand, Shubman Gill was struggling for runs at his new position. There were also calls from several quarters to drop him from the Test team.

However, the Punjab star has bounced back in style in the ongoing series against England. In the first Test, he was dismissed for 23 and 0 before scoring 34 in the first innings of the second Test. It was followed by a brilliant match-winning century in the second innings. In the third Test, he scored 0 and 91 before scoring 38 and 52* in the fourth game.

Lakhwinder on son Shubman Gill’s batting position:

In the ongoing fifth Test, Shubman Gill continued his fine form and scored his fourth Test ton. He scored 110 runs off 150 balls with the help of 12 fours and five sixes and shared a 171-run stand with captain Rohit Sharma for the second wicket to put India in the driver’s seat.

And while his son has started doing well at number three, Lakhwinder has not shied away from revealing that he does not like that position. Gill senior revealed that stepping out has made a difference for his son while also stating that he faced difficulties in batting because he was not stepping out.

“Stepping out has made a big difference, he had stopped doing that and that created pressure. Since his U-16 days, he has been stepping out to the spinners and pacers as well to cut the movement,” Lakhwinder told PTI.

“The moment you don’t play your natural game you are in trouble. The whole game is about confidence, when you get one good innings you are back to your best. Since his U-16 days, he used to make tons of runs,” he added.

On Friday (March 8), he constantly stepped out of the crease against the spinners as well as pacers. He also hit James Anderson for a stunning six over his head after stepping out of the crease. Speaking on his son’s batting position, Lakhwinder said:

“He should have continued to open. It is not right at all I feel. When you sit in dressing room for longer, the pressure tense to increase. Number 3 is not opening neither it is a middle-order spot.

“Plus his game his not like that, it suits the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara who has a defensive game. When the ball is new you get more loose balls, when you come in after 5-7 overs, the ball is still shiny and the bowler is also settled with his length,” he added.