"Keep That In Mind...": Sunil Gavaskar's Suggestion For "Too Aggressive" Shubman Gill

01.01.2024 - 04:26 sports.ndtv.com

India were outplayed in both batting and bowling department as South Africa won the first Test by an innings and 32 runs in Centurion last week.

While the visitors put up 245 runs on the board in the first innings, South Africa, led by Dean Elgar's 185, piled up 408 runs on the board.

In the second innings, India collapsed to 131, succombing to an innings defeat. While KL Rahul hit a century in the first innings, Virat Kohli top-scored with a gutsy 76.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to impress in both the innings, while Shubman Gill's struggles as India's new no.

cricket South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa vs India Star Sports Sunil Gavaskar Shubman Gill Australia South Africa India

A lot of debate took place over Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's possible inclusion in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad but a return to T20I cricket after 14 months in the series against Afghanistan has possibly provided a sneak peek at what the Indian cricket team selectors are planning for the future. Both Rohit and Virat will be making their return to the shortest format of the sport after last playing in November 2022. While questions still remain over their T20 World Cup selection, Sunil Gavaskar backed both of them to make the cut even if they have an ordinary Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign.

"Not The Only Player Who Failed": Sunil Gavaskar's Blunt Take On Shreyas Iyer's Form

India's tour of South Africa left a bitter-sweet taste in the mouths of Indian players. The 1-1 draw was satisfactory but the performance of Indian batters on tricky pitches left a lot to be desired. One batter who particularly underperformed was Shreyas Iyer, scoring just 41 runs in 4 innings at an average of 13.67. However, India legend Sunil Gavaskar doesn't think the selectors will look too much into Iyer's performance as he wasn't the only batter who failed in the 2-match series.

"You Get Slow When...": Sunil Gavaskar's No Nonsense Take On Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's T20I Future

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play in the T20 World Cup in June, saying the two senior players are not only the key batters but also terrific fielders in the Indian team. Both Rohit and Kohli have not played a T20I since India's semifinal loss to England at the 2022 T20 World Cup but the duo is keen to return to the shortest format. "What makes me feel good is their fielding. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still great fielders and will be of great help on the field. In addition to seniority in the dressing room, they will contribute on the field, too," Gavaskar told Star Sports.

"Sorry, You're Not A Batter If...": Sunil Gavaskar's Attack Post India vs South Africa 2nd Test

The India vs South Africa 2nd Test ended inside two days. In all, only five days of cricket action was possible to see in the two-match Test series. While the first Test ended in three days, the second Test's duration was beyond explanation. Thrice the teams were all out in a span of five sessions. While the pitch at the Newlands Stadium is under question, there are those who have raised questions at the batters' technique too.

Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami Nominated For ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of Year 2023

Four players Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami and Daryl Mitchell who had an impressive Cricket World Cup in India have been shortlisted for the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 Award. Shubman Gill (India): 1584 runs and 24 catches in 29 matches. Fairly raw on the biggest stage, Shubman Gill produced performances that would make 2023 his coming-of-age year in international cricket. His most notable performances came in the ODI format, with him finishing the year with 1584 runs at an average of 63.36.

On Day 1 Chaos In 1st Test, Sunil Gavaskar Surprised By South Africa's Dramatic Call

Former Indian cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday expressed surprise at South African skipper Dean Elgar's decision to bat first in the second Test against India. Elgar's decision backfired as South Africa were bundled out for 55, their lowest total against India. India were on course for a big lead until losing their last six wickets for no run to be all out for 153, limiting their first innings advantage to 98 runs. "Well, I tell you what, I was a bit surprised by what happened," Gavaskar said in his match analysis on Star Sports.