The criticism of Shubman Gill for his Test career and scrutiny over his technique in the longest format was further accentuated as he got out for only 2 runs in the first innings of the Centurion Test against India.
India’s start to the Test series was quite a concerning one as the side slipped to 24/3 inside 12 overs on a spicy Centurion surface after the South African captain, Temba Bavuma, won the toss and elected to bowl first.
India lost the top three of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill early before Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, aided by a couple of dropped chances, took the team to a slightly better position at Lunch.
Shubman Gill’s dismissal was a disappointing one as it was a poor delivery on the leg side from debutant Nandre Burger that didn’t deserve a wicket.
With Gill batting on 2 runs in 11 balls, Nandre Burger slipped the ball down the leg side. So much that Gill didn’t need to play any shot at it. However, Gill went for a leg glance and gloved it just a little bit. The South African wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne pouched the catch. And even though the on-field umpire gave it not out, the Proteas got it overturned with the help of DRS.
Shubman Gill was trolled badly with memes on Twitter for his failure in 1st Test vs South Africa:
Shubman Gill supremacy 🫡 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zRntuOJuYy
— Veer (@_veerrr____) December 26, 2023
After being asked to bat first, Rohit Sharma got out to a pull shot again in Test cricket – for the 7th time in his last 20 innings away from home – Yashasvi Jaiswal edged while playing a loose drive, while Gill nicked while glancing on the legside. Rohit managed only 5 runs, Jaiswal 17, and Gill scored 2 runs.
After this, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer started India’s rebuilding. Both played very well – barring one chance that each of them offered. The pair took India without any more damage to Lunch at 91/3.
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Also Read: IND vs SA: “Lucky” Virat Kohli Got Trolled By Fans Of Rohit Sharma After A Catch Drop
