IPL 2021: Sehwag comments on Shubman Gill’s batting woes

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Xtra Time Web Desk: Indian cricketing legend Virender Sehwag reckons that batting with ‘hard hands’ is the reason behind young gun Shubman Gill’s lackluster batting displays thus far in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021). In this edition, Gill has thus far managed to contribute just 80 runs at an average of 16, with a relatively poor strike rate of 121.21, way below-par by his standards. 

Sehwag believes that KKR should promote someone like Narine or Tripathi to the opening spot next to Gill, so that Gill can get settled in before going for the big ones. “See, I feel he’s a long-format player like the ODIs and Tests. In T20s, one has to hit boundaries at will. Either this or you play a role where you don’t have to hit boundaries but just play safely at one end,” Sehwag said to Cricbuzz in an interview.

“At the moment, he’s playing with very hard hands where neither he’s been able to time the ball nor collect runs. He’s the kind of player who depends on timing to find gaps and if that doesn’t go his way, he tends to build pressure on himself,” Sehwag added. Last night against RR, Gill struggled to score once again, before a direct hit from Jos Buttler at the non-strikers end brought an end to his innings. If this issue continues, it will be a difficult front to handle for the Kolkata Knight Riders. We can only wait and see what happens.