Former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag made shocking remarks about the poor form of Gujarat Titans (GT) batsman Shubman Gill in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Virender Sehwag stated that Shubman Gill is happy to be included in the reserve list of the Indian squad to become the T20 World Cup 2024.
Shubman Gill has been going through a difficult phase with the bat in the ongoing tournament. Gill has scored 322 runs in 11 matches at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 137.61, including two half-centuries. The young batsman scored his last half-century on April 10 against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
The GT captain did not make it to the 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC tournament. However, Gill was included in the four-man reserve list along with Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed. Gill has scored 335 runs in 14 innings at an average of 25.77 and a strike rate of 147.58.
“Shubman Gill should not give up his seat” – Virender Sehwag
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag stated that KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad should be in the T20 World Cup reserves. Sehwag advised Gill to grab opportunities and focus on scoring runs at a good strike rate.
“I think he is lucky that his name is in the T20 World Cup reserves. KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are not even there. That’s a good point and that should motivate him. Next time he shouldn’t lose his place even once.” He gets a chance. He should focus on scoring runs at a good strike rate so that he doesn’t get replaced. Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
The 24-year-old scored just two runs from seven deliveries in the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 4. The Titans were bowled out for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. The hosts chased the target with four wickets and 38 deliveries to spare.
They never gave a reason to be dropped – Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag highlighted how Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman delivered consistent performances. Sehwag urged Gill to focus on improving his skills and score big runs regularly to secure his place in the team.
“In my time we had Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman. It doesn’t matter how many runs the other guys scored, those guys didn’t go out because they never stopped scoring runs. How are you going to drop them if they keep scoring runs? They never gave a reason for being dropped. This is what Shubman Gill has to learn. Once he returns to the Indian team and starts playing regularly after the World Cup, he should not let such an opportunity come his way again. Improve your skills and score big, because big scores will save you in the end.” Sehwag further said.
Shubman Gill will next be seen in action when Gujarat Titans take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, May 10. The Ahmedabad-based team is currently at ninth place in the table and has secured four wins in 11 games.
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