Kevin Pietersen wants Rahul Dravid to work on Shubman Gill, explains how he can become better batter

Shubman Gill made only 23 runs in the first innings in Hyderabad.

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen urged Indian head coach Rahul Dravid to work on young batter Shubman Gill after yet another failure in test cricket. Gill couldn’t take advantage of a good start in the ongoing first test between India and England being played in Hyderabad.

Despite outstanding achievements in white-ball cricket, his test appearances have been far from convincing. Gill had an average of 32 before coming into the test series against England. He has fallen short of expectations for a top-order Indian batsman.

Gill came into bat in the ongoing test after Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal laid a good platform with an 80-run opening wicket stand. This allowed Gill to settle at the crease, taking his time to gauge the conditions. However, he failed to dominate during his time at the crease, scoring 23 in 66 balls with just 2 fours.

As the pressure mounted on Gill to contribute runs, he attempted an aggressive shot against debutant Tom Hartley in a bid to clear the ball for a boundary but got out.

“If Rahul Dravid takes him under his wings, the world is his,” says Kevin Pietersen on Shubman Gill

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen expressed worry about Gill’s strategy, emphasizing the significance of rotating the strike in test cricket. While praising Gill’s hitting ability, Pietersen insisted that the young batter should broaden his skills to prevent such dismissals.

Drawing from his own experience with Rahul Dravid, Pietersen provided insights for the team management to consider in Gill’s development.

“He has somebody in the dressing room who changed my game: Rahul Dravid. I don’t know if he will watch this broadcast, but go and spend time with Gill and do the same stuff he talked to me about. Get him to hit the ball on the off-side, practice picking the lengths better, and rotation of the strike. Do things that will help him become a better player,” Pietersen said during the Lunch show on JioCinema.

“He’s a quality player in Shubman Gill, and no, I’m not disappointed in how he got out. I’m disappointed that he has not got that ability yet (to rotate strike). But then, he’s a kid. Give him that ability; give him that structure. If he rotates the strike and learns that from Rahul Dravid, and if the latter takes him under his wings, the world is his,” said Pietersen further.

The ongoing series is crucial for Shubman Gill as if and when Virat Kohli returns, there could be a fight for the number three spot between him and KL Rahul, who has done well in recent games.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.