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'He Must Work Around': Kumble Wants Shubman Gill To Alter Technique After Pune Failure

Bhargav Dixit

Anil Kumble wants Shubman Gill to make technical changes. [Source: @anilkumble1074, @jiocinema/X]Anil Kumble wants Shubman Gill to make technical changes. [Source: @anilkumble1074, @jiocinema/X]

Legendary spinner Anil Kumble didn’t mince his words to define India batter Shubman Gill’s dismissal on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand in Pune. Gill, whose shortcomings against spinners have been well-documented during the course of his five-year-old international career, was found wanting against a left-arm spinner for the 11th time in the ancestral format.

Having barely managed to survive against New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner in the first over of the day, Gill’s cautious approach eventually let him down when one of the orthodox spinner’s deliveries went straight with the arm.

The fact that the right-handed batter didn’t even bother to challenge the on-field umpire’s decision was enough to signify how plumb he was in front of the stumps.

Anil Kumble Wants Shubman Gill To Alter Technique Due To This Reason

It is noteworthy that Gill usually keeps his bat adjacent to his pad while defending a ball. While there’s nothing wrong with such a technique, the 25-year-old batter needs to evolve with time as per Kumble.

As one of the most successful spinners to have played the game, Kumble was well within his right to expect Gill to keep his bat in front of his pad in the future.

“It was very evident that on a surface like this the odd ball was going to turn. If you can consistently hit the right lengths, it is going to skid if you hit the grassy patches, and it is going to turn if you hit the dry patches. With the kind of technique that Shubman [Gill] has, bat and pad close to each other, he faced a conundrum,” Kumble was quoted as saying by host broadcaster Jio Cinema post Gill’s dismissal.


“With the advent of DRS, techniques have changed, the bat needs to be in front. That is something that did not go his way. Even in the first over, there was a close call. That is something he must work around.”

In addition to Gill’s technique, Kumble also proposed how Gill shouldn’t distance himself from an attacking approach irrespective of the conditions. Gill, whose batting strike rate hovers around 60 in Test cricket, scored 30 (72) at a strike rate of 41.66 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium today.

“And I feel that Shubman is at his best when he is looking to attack the bowlers rather than looking to survive. Because of the pressure applied by the New Zealand bowlers, he was just looking to survive the initial overs,” Kumble added.

First Indian batter to be dismissed on Day 2, Gill was soon followed by five more teammates before the lunch break as the home team managed to register another batting collapse in the series.