"I think it is a bit too much cricket" - Harbhajan Singh on the reason for Shubman Gill's recent lean run

Harbhajan Singh believes excess cricket is the reason behind Shubman Gill's recent lean run with the bat.

Gill scored a painstaking 10 runs off 32 deliveries in India's Asia Cup 2023 Group A clash against Pakistan in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2. His dismissal reduced the Men in Blue to 66/4 in the 15th over before Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya's 138-run fifth-wicket partnership took them to a 266-run total. The match eventually did not yield a result as rain didn't allow Babar Azam and Co. to start their run chase.

During an interaction on India Today, Harbhajan was asked about the reason behind Shubman Gill's recent underwhelming performances, to which he replied:

"I think it is a bit too much cricket. He has been playing for quite a while now. He had a great IPL and after the IPL every player needs some sort of rest because the IPL is a very demanding tournament."

The former Indian spinner feels the hectic schedule since the start of the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has taken a toll on the Gujarat Titans opener. However, he was confident of the stylish batter regaining his form soon, saying:

"You have got to travel and also play every second or fourth day. I feel he just needs a bit of a break. He is a quality player. There is no doubt that he will come back into form and start scoring those runs, what we have seen him scoring in the IPL."

Gill was the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2023, smashing 890 runs at an average of 59.33 in 17 games. The youngster has featured in every Indian XI since then barring the two T20Is they played against Ireland and has looked out of sorts.

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"I believe there is nothing wrong with his technique" - Harbhajan Singh on Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was tentative in India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan.

Harbhajan Singh doesn't see a technical deficiency in Shubman Gill's game. He elaborated:

"I believe there is nothing wrong with his technique. There is nothing wrong with his kind of batting what he is doing. It's just that the confidence is a bit lost. I am sure if he gives himself a bit more time, he is going to come good."

Gill has breached the half-century mark only twice in his last 12 international innings. He has scored 10 or fewer runs in eight of those innings and might need to make more substantial contributions to retain his place in the playing XI.