Former India keeper-batsman Parthiv Patel criticized experts for pointing fingers at Shubman Gill after he failed in a few games. According to Parthiv Patel, decisions about a player cannot be changed after a few low scores. Shubman Gill is facing a lot of difficulties on the current tour of the West Indies. He performed poorly in both the Tests and was dismissed for 7 and 34 in the first two ODIs. After scoring 85 in the deciding ODI, he missed out on single-figure scores in the first three T20Is.
On Saturday, 12 August, Shubman Gill scored 77 runs in 47 balls and shared a 165-run partnership for the first wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal making 84 runs in 51 balls. Praising Gill, Patel took a dig at his critics and said on Cricbuzz:
“Shubman Gill was outstanding today. We know the potential of Shubman Gill; we have the tendency of questioning someone who doesn’t get runs. After just a couple of performances here and there, we should not say he can’t play T20s or he can’t play ODIs.
“We need to keep faith in players and an approach. When you are trying to play attacking cricket, you might get out, especially an opener playing T20 format,” he added.
Apart from Gill, Patel heaped praise on Jaiswal and predicted a bright future for him across formats. The 38-year-old said:
“Shubman Gill was outstanding with his shot selection and Yashasvi Jaiswal yet again has shown how good a player he is. He is probably a player of all formats. He got a hundred on Test debut and got a fifty in his second T20I. When you score more than 150 in an opening partnership that 179 target looks really small. That is exactly what India did today.”
Patel said Jaiswal’s fearless approach with the bat is one of the key factors behind his success. Speaking about the left-hander’s innings on Saturday, he elaborated:
“He was fearless; there was no doubt about the shot selection. The reverse-sweep six off Akeal Hosein shows the frame of mind he is in. It doesn’t matter [to him] how he gets out. He was on top of his game. Jaiswal is the player for the future and he will probably serve India in all three formats for a long time.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal was adjudged the player of the match for his brilliant innings, in which he hit 11 fours and three sixes.
“The Real Test For Indian Youth” – Parthiv Patel On Breakthrough
After going down 0-2 in the West Indies T20, India made a great comeback. Now they will try to complete their fight by winning the decider. According to Parthiv Patel, the fifth T20 match will be a good test for the young team.
“This is a real test for Indian youngsters. Knockout games can get the best out of you. This is a great test for Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Mukesh Kumar, who has been outstanding with his death bowling. This will be a good stepping stone towards that 2024 World Cup. Result will not matter as much. Though India would definitely like to win the series, this will be a great learning curve for Indian youngsters,” the former keeper concluded.
The fifth and final T20I of the India-West Indies series will be played in Florida on Sunday, August 13.
