'Gill would have been dropped if he was from Tamil Nadu': Badrinath's scathing criticism

Former India batsman Subramaniam Badrinath criticized Shubman Gill for his lackluster performances in Test cricket, pointing out his below-average contributions. Badrinath also criticized Gill's fielding skills, questioning his attitude and intent on the field.

Badrinath said he wanted Gill to grind it out in the middle and tire the Australian bowlers. He cited Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne's example and how the duo formed a gritty partnership in the first innings of the Adelaide Test.

Speaking on Star Sports Tamil, Badrinath said, "It is very difficult for me to see this. For that level, he has not lived up to expectations. You can get runs, you cannot, but there should have been intent and aggression. I wanted him to tire out the bowlers."

"I want you to make the ball old. Help your teammates and stand firm even if runs are not coming. Play 100 balls, tire the bowlers. This is what your team contribution [is supposed to be]. Labuschange and McSweeney did that in a couple of games. By playing out a lot of dot balls, they had actually made Bumrah injured," he added.

Badrinath also alleged that if Shubman Gill was from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped. "If this was Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped."

'What does he contribute?'

Shubman Gill looked good in the middle during the Adelaide Test. However, he threw his wicket away after getting set. The same pattern followed in the Sydney Test, where he danced down the track on the last ball before the lunch session on Day 1, losing his wicket to Nathan Lyon.

Badrinath pointed out the flaws in Gill's game and even questioned his attitude on the field.

"You must not go there and say, oh, this is the way I play. I will stand and deliver. Four people will write about it. Whatever you can do, at that time, you try and do," said Badrinath.

"In this series, I did not get it from Shubman. Even on the field, he was poor. He couldn't stay in slip and point. What does he contribute to the team?" he asked.

Shubman Gill averages just a little above 35 in Test cricket after playing 32 matches since his debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia in December 2020.

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