"Not doing justice to his talent by getting out in the 50s or 60s" - Sunil Gavaskar on Shubman Gill 

Former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar reckons that Shubman Gill will have to do more to cement his spot as a first-choice opener in ODIs. Gavaskar termed the youngster a terrific player but feels he needs to convert his starts.

Gill has been one of the most in-form young batters over the last few years. The 23-year-old started his ODI career in 2019 and has delivered consistently.

In 15 ODIs, he has 687 runs, including four fifties and one century, at a healthy average of 57.25.

Speaking on Sony Sports, Gavaskar suggested that Shikhar Dhawan has locked in his spot for the 2023 ODI World Cup due to his experience and the left-handed factor, saying:

"You are always looking for a left-right combination. Shikhar brings that left-handedness plus the loads of experience that he has got. I think he has a point or two to prove in the sense that he probably might be saying that with the kind of record that he has in T20 cricket he should be playing that as well."

The 73-year-old wants Gill to start converting his half-centuries into big, impactful hundreds and averred:

"This means that someone like Shubman Gill will have to scored hundreds and hundreds. Not the 50s and 60s that he is getting. He is a terrific talent, make no mistake. He is a rare talent. But he is not doing justice to his talent by getting out in the 50s or 60s.

"Yes sometimes I understand that you are kind of trying to up the scoring rate but he has got to convert those 50s and 60s into impact hundreds and 120. Those knocks make a difference to the result.”

The Punjab-born batter scored 50, 45, and 13 in the recent three-match ODI series in New Zealand. While the Kiwis won the first game, the other two fixtures were washed out due to persistent rain.

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Shubman Gill is not part of the ongoing ODI series against Bangladesh

Shubman Gill. (Image Credits: Getty)

Despite a promising ODI record, the youngster has been left out of the squad for the ongoing three-match series against Bangladesh.

The Men in Blue lost the first game by one wicket on Sunday, December 4.

India's openers Rohit Sharma and Dhawan struggled on a tricky Mirpur pitch. KL Rahul's 73 helped the visitors post 186. Mehidy Hasan Miraz then helped the hosts sneak home with an unbeaten 38.

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