"Has To Keep Getting Runs": Shubman Gill Issued Big Warning Over Dwindling Test Form

Batting in South Africa is never easy but a player like Shubman Gill, touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket, is expected to deliver. As India took on South Africa on Day 1 of the first Test in Centurion, Gill's bat went silent once again, scoring just 2 runs off 12 balls. With the dismissal, Gill's Test average dropped to a poor 31.23, prompting former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar to remind him of the competition that exists in the Indian team.

While Manjrekar feels Gill will continue to be backed by the team management for a while, he feels the young top-order batter has to put more runs on the board.

"He is the real deal. There is class there. Somebody who gets a 90 in his very first Test match in foreign condition against a good attack, has to have class. Now, finally, it has come to be about delivery, right? It's about runs now. And his average at the moment is in the low 30s. He has been around for a while. The thing in India is that he has got batting competition coming through," Manjrekar said on Star Sports.

Gill is one of the few players in the Indian team who is a certain pick in all three formats of the game. But, with the emergence of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, Manjrekar feels Gill's place in T20Is and Tests could be under threat soon.

"Shubman Gill has to keep getting runs. If you look at his T20 performances, you know he is getting some serious competition there. Test cricket, I think, they will back him more, but the numbers have to keep coming.

"At the moment, Gill looks entrenched and established in the 50-over format. The other two formats, there is work to be done, but class-wise, he is a real deal," he added.