'No question about his place in team at this time' - Zaheer Khan reflects on Shubman Gill’s struggle with form

The Indian team got off to a subpar start in their ongoing Test series against England as the Rohit Sharma-led side faced a defeat in the first Test of the series, giving away the advantage to the visitors. After losing the game, one of the most dismal performances was by star batter Shubman Gill, who failed to get to top gear across innings.

Scoring 23 runs in the first innings, Gill was sent packing for a duck in the second, which became a major reason for concern for the fans. The 24-year-old’s form has consistently dipped in the recent times.

Seeing his performance, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan came forward to give his take on the pressure that the star batter might be under. He opined that Gill could not get in the flow in the first innings, but the pressure did not come to him early on as well.

"So I don't think the pressure that you are talking about came to him even in the first innings of this match because of the class of batter he is, the way in which he bats, and the flow in which we know that he bats. It has been seen that that flow did not come in the first innings. There were some good platforms there. The platform was absolutely set for batting. So what does the number-three batsman do? He takes that platform further and tries to improve that momentum," Zaheer Khan told JioCinema.

 He will play at No.3: Zaheer Khan

Furthermore, Zaheer Khan opined that Gill’s place in the squad is not under threat. Despite the pressure on him, the 24-year-old remains an integral part of the squad, and the fans will want him to do well under pressure in the upcoming games.

“There is pressure on him, but you have to deal with it. As we say in cricket, a good player only emerges from pressure. The team will see Shubman in that way, the fans will see him in that way and the management will also see him similarly. So he will be given the chance. I don't think there should be any question about his place in the team at this time. He will play at No.3,” he said.