Former Team India skipper Sourav Ganguly pointed out that Shubman Gill needs to tighten his techniques in English conditions, especially while playing the moving ball outside the off-stump.
As a new-look Team India prepare for the five-match Test series in England under Shubman Gill, former skipper Sourav Ganguly observed that the star batter, who took over the mantle from Rohit Sharma, will have to be at his technical best in testing English conditions.
The crucial series, which marks the beginning of a generational shift in Indian Test cricket, will be held from June 20 to August 4 with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
The 25-year-old Gill, one of the senior-most figures in the team, now faces the challenge of leading a relatively inexperienced side both as a captain and as a key batter in tough conditions.
Ganguly, known for grooming and guiding young talents during his captaincy era, expressed confidence in Gill's batting prowess but stressed the need for technical improvement, particularly in the longer format of the game.
"Wishing him all the best. I'm sure he can work on his Test match batting," Ganguly told Boria Majumdar of Revsportz.
The Indian Test squad is going through a transitional phase with Yashasvi Jaiswal, K L Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair, alongside Gill forming the side's batting core in the absence of the experienced trio of Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane.
Highlighting the changing dynamics of Indian Test cricket, Ganguly emphasized the importance of adapting to different conditions.
"These are not conditions where you just hit through the line. It's going to seam and swing. The team may find itself in situations like 10 for 2 or so, and Shubman has to come and play the new ball. So the application will be different," he said.
Ganguly noted that Gill needs to tighten his techniques, especially while playing the moving ball 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 different things, so he has to get the defence right and learn how to leave deliveries outside the off-stump," Ganguly, who is credited for transforming the Indian Test side from a struggling group into a formidable force, particularly in overseas conditions, said.
"England is a place where you need to be on the front foot quite a bit. It's not Australia or South Africa, where you can comfortably hang back and play,"
"In New Zealand and England, it's going to swing and seam, so you've got to be on the front foot and have a good defence. You've got to fight here, where first hour, post lunch, and post tea conditions would be different. So, you can't be 50-4 in the first two hours. You've got to be 50-1 or so to be in a position to win the Test match," he added.
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