Shubman Gill's Test struggles in SENA nations: A closer look
Shubman Gill, hailed as the next big thing of the Indian cricket team, has not enjoyed operating much in Tests outside Asia. He has particularly struggled in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries. Team India would want the youngster to cause a turnaround in the upcoming five-Test series against Australia, starting on November 22 at Perth's Optus Stadium. Here we decode his numbers in SENA Tests.
Gill's Test debut and early success
Gill made his Test debut in the 2020 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, scoring 45 and 35 runs respectively. His performance was key to India's eight-wicket win over Australia. In the last game of that series, Gill scored an impressive 91, helping India win the series 2-1. As per ESPNcricinfo, he ended that series with 259 runs from three Tests at an average of 51.80.
An average of 16.2 in England and South Africa
However, after his initial success, Gill's performance fell short in SENA Tests. In the five SENA Tests he played after the Australia series, he could only score 162 runs from 10 innings at 16.20. He scored 28, 8, 17, 4, 13, 18 ,6 2, 26, 36, and 10 in these matches. Three of these Tests were played in England and two in South Africa. He is yet to play a Test in NZ.
Gill's struggles against fast bowlers
Gill has also been found wanting against fast bowlers, especially in SENA Tests. Four of his five dismissals in Australia were to pacers. All six of his dismissals in England came at the hands of fast bowlers. Pacers dismissed him four times in as many innings in South Africa as well. Notably, Gill will have to tackle the experience pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood in the upcoming series.
Here are his overall numbers
Having played 29 Test matches, the youngster has clobbered 1,800 runs. While the Indian batter averages 36.73 in the format, his tally includes five tons and seven half-centuries. Gill, who is now India's designated number three in Tests, has a much better average of 41.68 in Tests in Asia. It goes further up to 42.03 in matches in India.
