Shubman Gill in SENA: A struggle hiding under the failure of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

India’s batting woes have grown relentlessly Down Under. Three matches into the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the Perth Test remains the only instance of Indian batters playing well. After the pink-ball Test in Adelaide and the first-innings struggle at the Gabba, Perth seems like a distant memory, the sole occasion where India stood firm against the Australian pacers. Post Perth, it’s been a frustrating sequence for Indian fans, caught in the “if not him, then maybe him” mirage of the batting order. However, none have justified the faith of the fans so far in the series. Amidst the ongoing struggles of Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, the overseas performance of Shubman Gill has flown under the radar. A closer look at his innings in SENA since his debut in 2020 paints a sorry picture of the youngster’s batting abilities outside the subcontinent.

Shubman Gill beyond Asia: A series of unfulfilled promise for India

Shubman Gill missed the opening BGT Test in Perth after injuring his thumb during a simulation game. India played Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel to fill the voids left by Gill and Rohit Sharma, who was on paternity leave. The Perth Test fell in India’s favor, thanks to a five-wicket haul by interim captain Jasprit Bumrah. After Bumrah set the tone for victory, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal notched up a 201-run partnership at the top, and Virat Kohli sealed the deal by finally reaching his 81st career ton. The 295-run victory in the opening BGT Test overshadowed India’s first-innings batting collapse, leaving fans and pundits unperturbed. However, what was ignored in Perth has now emerged as the primary reason for India’s struggles Down Under.

The return of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma was expected to bring stability and prowess to the Indian batting order in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. However, the reality has been starkly disappointing. Gill and Sharma have both been part of the embarrassing collapses India staged in the Adelaide Test and now at the Gabba. Gill, in particular, has failed to bolster the Indian batting lineup in overseas conditions for quite some time.

The batter, who debuted on India’s last tour of Australia, gained attention with his gritty 91-run knock in the iconic Gabba breach. The then 21-year-old laid the foundation for the victory at Gabba, which was eventually sealed by Rishabh Pant. However, over three years later, that 91 remains Gill’s highest score in overseas conditions. Despite earning a permanent spot in India’s Test squad following the Gabba heroics and cementing the No. 3 position as his own, Gill’s record in SENA is underwhelming. In the 15 innings he has played in these conditions since the Gabba knock, the 25-year-old has failed to produce even a 40-run stand, let alone another match-winning effort.

Gill has registered five tons in his short career, but his only century outside India came against Bangladesh in Chattogram. In SENA, Gill’s highest score is a modest 36 in Cape Town. Across 16 Test innings outside Asia, he has managed a cumulative score of 267 runs, averaging a disappointing 17.5. These numbers don’t reflect well on a batter occupying a position that demands durability and the ability to hold the batting fort. Gill’s No. 3 position, previously held by Cheteshwar Pujara, requires preventing collapses, a quality that earned Pujara the tag of the "second wall" for India after Rahul Dravid.

In the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy season, Gill has recorded scores of 31, 28, and a meager 1 at the Gabba before being dismissed by Starc. With rain forecasted for the remaining two days of the Gabba Test, the match is likely to end in a draw. However, the Indian management urgently needs to address the batter’s struggles and resolve whatever is hindering Gill’s performance in overseas conditions.