"He needs to understand and improve his game" - Wasim Jaffer on why Shubman Gill may struggle in Indian conditions

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer believes that Shubman Gill's game is more suited to conditions where the ball nicely comes onto the bat and has even bounce. Gill once again failed to convert his start at No. 3 as he was dismissed for just 10 in the second Test against West Indies at Trinidad.

Jaffer pointed out how well Gill played in Australia, underlining his knock of 91 in the famous win at the Gabba back in 2021. He feels Gill will need to work more on his game when it comes to slow pitches and tougher batting conditions like in India.

Speaking in a media interaction, here's what Wasim Jaffer, who is also an expert for JioCinema, had to say about Shubman Gill:

"He likes the ball coming onto the bat and wants that pace on the ball and likes to hit on the rise. However, in India, you generally don’t get such pitches in red-ball cricket where you will easily be able to hit on the rise.

"I think he needs to understand and improve his game in those conditions. He will be fine in conditions where the ball comes onto the bat and we have seen that when he played in Australia."

Wasim Jaffer further added:

"Shubman Gill probably wants to bat at that position looking at the bigger picture, but the start hasn’t been that great. In the first Test, he got a good delivery. But a bit disappointed with how he got out (in Trinidad).

"He had a good chance because it is a good wicket and he had gotten off to a good start so I felt he played a little loose and he will be disappointed with that dismissal."

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Wasim Jaffer on Sarfaraz Khan

While Team India has given chances to the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan continues to be overlooked by the selectors. While the Mumbai batter has scored a truckload of runs in domestic cricket, he couldn't impress in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.

Responding to a Sportskeeda query, Wasim Jaffer stated:

"Of course he (Sarfaraz) has the right to feel disappointed but there are some things beyond his control. So he has to focus his energy on scoring runs again. Because if he keeps failing like he did in the Duleep Trophy or if he doesn’t score in the upcoming matches, then it will only weaken his case.

"He still needs to come out and score runs because that’s the only way you can force your way into the Indian side. Many people are talking about him, but if he doesn’t back it up with performances then he doesn’t stand a chance."

It will be interesting to see how long India stick to Gill at No. 3 if he continues to miss out on scoring big.