IPL 2021: Shubman Gill hits back at troll for criticizing his powerplay strike rate

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Shubman Gill reacted strongly to a troll who criticized his powerplay strike rate in IPL 2020.

KKR shared a picture of Shubman Gill's follow-through on Instagram with the caption: "High Elbow, Straight Bat, Picture Perfect!".

A discussion ensued over one of the comments on the post. Some trolls called Gill 'tuk-tuk', an apparent reference to his unexceptional strike rate in IPL 2020, and even questioned his place in the KKR team. The 21-year-old wasn't coy in hitting back and replied:

"I am right where I want to be Mr. NOBODY."

Shubman Gill played all league games for KKR last season, scoring 440 runs at a substantial average of 33.54. However, his strike rate was just under 118, quite low for an opener in the shortest format of the game.

The right-hander's strike rate was on the lower side as he had to play the anchor's role in KKR's batting line-up. Swashbucklers like Sunil Narine and Rahul Tripathi partnered him at the top of the order, while big-hitters Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, and Eoin Morgan formed the middle-order.

However, both Tripathi and Narine's inconsistency, coupled with Shubman Gill's inability to force the pace in powerplay, emerged as a major bugbear for KKR. The franchise concluded the season as one of the worst-performing batting sides in powerplays.

"Strike rate is overrated" - Shubman Gill

How many runs will Shubman Gill score in IPL 2021?

Despite his low strike rate, Shubman Gill is assured of his ability to bat in powerplay overs. In a recent interview, he labeled strike rate as an 'overrated' stat, with the youngster further insisting that adapting to different match situations is more important for a batsman.

"I think strike rate is kind of overrated. It's all about how you adapt to a certain situation. If the team demands you to play with a strike rate of 200, you should be able to do it. If the team demands you to play at a strike rate of 100, you should be able to do it. It's just about adapting to the match situation. There shouldn't be a certain pattern to your game, where you are only able to play one kind of game and not able to adapt to different situations," said Shubman Gill.

Shubman Gill will be back in action for KKR against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on April 11.

Skipper proud of Team Shubman's heroics from last night's practice match! 🙌@RealShubmanGill @Eoin16 #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/c5HnH78sSn

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 6, 2021