'These are not conditions where you just hit through the line' - Sourav Ganguly suggests how Shubman Gill should approach batting in England
"I am sure he can work on his Test match batting. He is a top-order batsman," Ganguly said while talking about Shubman Gill.
Shubman Gill will have to be up for a stern challenge as he gets set to lead a fairly inexperienced Indian team in a five-match Test series against England, starting on Friday, June 20. The Punjab batter hasn't done justice to his talent in the red-ball format as yet, averaging 35.06 after playing 32 Tests. His Test average in England is a paltry 14.66 from six innings.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly wished the 25-year-old good luck ahead of the highly-anticipated Test series and reminded him that the balls will swing around in English conditions, and hitting through the line won't be the best option.
"Wishing him all the best. I am sure he can work on his Test match batting. He is a top-order batsman," Ganguly told Revsportz.
"These are not conditions where you just hit through the line. It's going to seam, swing, the new ball will be different. There can be a time when India is 10 for 2, and he has to come and play the new ball, so the application will be different," he added.
Ganguly also suggested that Shubman should sort out his defensive technique against the moving ball and learn how to leave deliveries outside the off-stump.
"Shubman needs to score a bit more runs in these conditions when it's seaming and swinging. It is going to be a bit difficult upfront with the new ball. Batting at 100 for 2 and 20 for 4 are two different things, so he has to get the defence right, learn how to leave deliveries outside the off stump," he added.
This will be the first tour for India after the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. While Ashwin retired midway through the Border-Gavaskar series, Rohit and Kohli announced their retirements on May 7 and May 12, respectively.
Ganguly, who is a former BCCI president, said that it is amazing to see things change quickly over a short period of time.
"There is no Kohli, no Rohit Sharma, no Ajinkya Rahane... it's absolutely amazing - how things change over a period is unbelievable," said Ganguly.
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The first Test is set to be played at Headingley, Leeds. The Indian team is currently playing an intra-squad game in Kent to prepare for the Tests against the Three Lions.
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