Shubman Gill Seeks Guidance From Kohli And Sharma Amid Struggles In Sri Lanka

Shubman Gill sought advice from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma before the crucial third ODI against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 7.

India aims to avoid their first bilateral ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka since 1997. The team had won all previous bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka until the current series, where the first match ended in a tie and Sri Lanka won the second by 32 runs.

The vice-captain of the Indian cricket team has faced challenges in Sri Lanka, failing to build on his starts. His scoring rate has also been disappointing. Despite being chosen over players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, and being named Suryakumar Yadav's deputy, Gill has not performed as expected.

In the first T20I, he scored 34 off 16 balls but missed the second ODI due to a back spasm. He then scored 39 off 37 balls in the third T20I. In the first ODI, he managed only 16 off 35 balls while his opening partner scored 58 off 47 balls. In the second ODI, he scored 35 off 44 balls as Rohit Sharma hit a quick fifty.

Gill's form is crucial, especially when lower-order batters have struggled in Sri Lanka. Despite good opening partnerships, India has faltered in the ODI series. They collapsed from 75/0 to 230 all-out in the first game and from 87/0 to 208 all-out in the second game.

On the eve of the final ODI, which India needs to win to draw the series after a tied first match, Shubman Gill had extensive discussions with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Gill has long chat sessions with Virat first before his stint and then with captain after his practice was over. pic.twitter.com/ZMiCj9jukw

Vimal कुमार (@Vimalwa) August 6, 2024

Seeking Guidance

Journalist Vimal Kumar, covering the series in Sri Lanka, shared pictures of Gill with Kohli and Rohit. He revealed that Gill sought tips from them to make an impact in the upcoming match.

At a time when Shubman Gill is being given bigger roles and projected as a future India captain, he is focused on scoring runs and winning matches for India.