Scoring in subcontinent alone does not help: Srikkanth on Shubman Gill's Test form

NEW DELHI: Former Indian skipper Kris Srikkanth said that Shubman Gill has to perform well in different conditions worldwide so that he can live up to his hype in international cricket. India will take on South Africa in the second Test at Cape Town from Wednesday. India is trailing by 1-0.

Gill has failed to fire with the bat in Tests so far and his numbers are in stark contrast with his incredible ODI numbers. "Shubman Gill has to perform well across the world. Scoring runs in the sub-continent alone does not help. He has to score runs overseas. Why are we calling Virat Kohli the King? Look at his record, even in the last year, be it Test matches, ODI or T20Is. Just look at his records. I have nothing more to say. Yes, I accept you cannot produce a Virat Kohli every time. Everybody cannot be producing Virat Kohli (Kohli-like numbers). But you have to try and get to at least a bit of that stature," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

"I think the hype around Shubman Gill, quite a few are saying 'he is the next this, next that'. I think we will have to wait and see. I would not overrate him, I would not want to underestimate him," he added. In 19 Tests, Gill has scored 994 runs at an average of 31.06, with two centuries and four fifties in 35 innings. His best score is 128.

Last year, in six Tests, Gill scored 258 runs in 10 innings at an average of 28.66, with one century, a knock of 128 being his sole noteworthy knock. In India, Gill has 417 runs in 14 innings of eight Tests at an average of 32.07, with a century and two fifties. Gill has done well in Australia, scoring 259 runs in three matches and six innings at an average of 51.80, with two fifties.

But his numbers in England and South Africa are not good. Gill has scored just 88 runs in six innings of three Tests in England, with the best score of 28. While in South Africa, he scored just 28 runs, including 26 in the second innings of his debut Test in this part of the world. Gill has also played two Tests in the West Indies, scoring just 45 runs in three innings at an average of 22.50 and best score of 29*.

Gill has scored a century in Bangladesh but has just 157 runs in four innings in Bangladesh. It has been seven innings since Gill crossed the 50-run mark in Tests. Since his iconic innings at Brisbane of 91 which helped India seal the Border-Gavaskar Trophy back in January 2021, Gill has scored 735 runs in 16 Tests and 29 innings at an average of 27.22, with two centuries and two fifties. Gill has struggled in T20I too, scoring 312 runs in 13 innings at an average of 26.00, with a century and a fifty. Gill's ODI numbers though are great, scoring 2,271 runs in 44 matches at an average of 61.37, with six tons and 13 fifties. His best score is 208.