Parthiv Patel extends support to 'unlucky' Shubman Gill after failure in Chennai Test

The disappointing start of Shubman Gill in the opening Test of the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh sparked a new wave of reactions as most fans became angry over the Indian batter’s early dismissal at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The young Indian batter showed promise in the very crucial No. 3 batting position after an impressive home Test series against England, but he failed to make any impact on Day 1 of the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai on Thursday, September 19.

Parthiv Patel defends Shubman Gill after early Dismissal in Chennai Test

Coming to the crease after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal for just 6 runs, Gill was tasked with steadying the innings. However, Hasan Mahmud's delivery down the leg side tempted the India batter into a flick, resulting in an unfortunate edge to the wicketkeeper, Litton Das.

Shubman Gill could face only eight balls before departing for a duck when Team India needed someone to stabilize the innings. The right-handed batter’s dismissal sparked huge outrage among the fans.

And not because he was caught out for a duck, but because his instinctive shot failed to connect properly, leading to a soft dismissal that frustrated fans and cricket experts as well, as it put India on the back foot early in the match.

However, former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel came up in support of Shubman Gill, saying the Indian batter was just unfortunate against Mahmud. The commentator mentioned that Gill tried to play out the swinging delivery by advancing down the crease, but the ball just slipped past his bat.

Following the dismissal, social media flowed with heavy criticism against Shubman Gill, but Patel pointed out that such things are out of the control of many batters since deliveries down the leg side get frequently dismissed. The former cricketer defended Shubman Gill for the way he lost his wicket to Mahmud.

I think he was unlucky: Parthiv Patel on Gill's 8-ball duck

Parthiv Patel said on Jio Cinema during the Lunch Break on Day 1: “I think he was unlucky. When you get out down the leg side, it is a bit of an instinctive shot. His game plan is to stay ahead of the popping crease. He stays almost half ahead of the popping crease.”

Patel added, “He tries to negotiate that swing or seam, which a bowler is getting. But in cricket we say there are two unluckiest dismissals. One is to get run out at the non-striker and or you get out down the legside and caught behind and that's exactly what happened with Shubman Gill.”

Notably, Shubman Gill made an unwanted record with his poor outing in Chennai, joining the company of Virat Kohli. With his third duck at home this year, Gill became the sixth Indian batter to have three ducks in a calendar year. That puts him on an unwanted list featuring Kohli, who made this unwanted record in 2021.

The highest on the list is Mohinder Amarnath in 1983 with five ducks. There are other iconic names on this list, and they are Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in 1969, Dilip Vengsarkar in 1979, and Vinod Kambli in 1994—they all had experienced the same pain as Gill in Tests at home.