IND vs NZ 2021: Whenever I See Him Play, He Doesn't Look Like A Test Opener To Me – Aakash Chopra On Shubman Gill

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that young Indian batsman Shubman Gill is not made to open the innings for the team in the longest format of the game.

Shubman Gill was making a comeback in the Test side after suffering a severe injury during the recent India tour of England and smashed a brilliant half-century on day one of the Kanpur Test against New Zealand opening the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal. Gill managed to score 52 runs off 93 balls before losing his wicket against Kiwi pacer Kyle Jamieson.

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During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra said that the way Gill plays inside the line both the outside edge and inside edge gets exposed. He said:

 “Whenever I see him play, he doesn’t look like a Test opener to me. The way he plays inside the line, the outside edge and inside edge are both exposed.”

However, Chopra lauded the 22-year-old for his ” impeccable” footwork against the spin. He explained:

“But when he plays spin, he is tall and uses his feet well, uses the reach very well, his footwork is impeccable and his defence is also solid. The bat is always in front of the pad.”

In My Opinion, He Is A Middle-order Batter – Aakash Chopra On Shubman Gill

The Cricketer-turned-commentator Chopra feels that Gill is better suited for the middle-order in Test cricket. He said:

“In my opinion, he is a middle-order batter, he has been made to open. He has done well as an opener but his true colour and form will be seen when he bats in the middle order”

Also, Chopra was confused to see the reports claiming that Gill was set to bat in the middle-order as KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were set to open the innings for the team in the series in the absence of Rohit Sharma. He elaborated:

 “People were saying that you should make Shubman bat in the middle order. But Shubman Gill was before Mayank in the pecking order, so why were you sending him down the order. If the slot was made available, it should have been given to the one who had the first right.”

Notably, KL Rahul was the first choice opener of the team, however just a few days before the series he suffered an injury and the only openers left for India were Gill and Mayank Agarwal.

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