Kris Srikkanth calls Shubman Gill 'overrated,' criticizes selection committee
What's the story
Kris Srikkanth, former Indian cricketer and member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, has slammed the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar.
He was disappointed with their repeated backing of Shubman Gill, despite his poor show in international matches.
"I've always maintained that Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer but nobody listened to me," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
His statement comes following India's 1-3 defeat in the recent away Test series against Australia.
Performance review
Gill's performance in recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Gill's performance in the BGT 2024-25 was disappointing, with scores of 31, 28, 1, 20 and 13 in five innings.
This is a far cry from his stellar debut series in Australia in the 2020-21 season.
Srikkanth emphasized this inconsistency by saying "Gill is right now surviving because he gets 10 chances and scores on the 10th chance after nine failures."
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Srikkanth suggests alternatives to Gill
Srikkanth also suggested that the selection committee should consider top-order players like Suryakumar Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Sai Sudharshan.
He lauded Yadav's technique and ability, even though he had a slow start in Tests.
"Ruturaj Gaikwad, for example, has been doing wonderfully in first-class cricket," he added.
The former cricketer also cited Sai Sudharsan's impressive performance on 'A' tours as another reason for his inclusion.
Career prospects
Gill's future in Indian cricket
Despite his recent struggles, Gill is still a mainstay in Indian cricket. He missed the fourth match of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to poor form but made a return for the final Test.
Srikkanth stressed that "The challenge is scoring away from home in SENA countries and that's where players like KL Rahul pass the test," hinting at the need for consistency overseas.