Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth feels that Shubman Gill is putting pressure on himself after seeing him fail to play a big knock in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia. Gill only managed to score a total of 43 runs in three outings as the Men in Blue recorded a 2-1 defeat in the three-match assignment. This was the 26-year-old's first series as India's captain and it is safe to say that he wasn't able to live upto expectations.
Srikkanth further remarked that being handed leadership duties for the one-day format may have also led to pressure being mounted on Gill which in turn led to his poor show with the bat in the Australia series.
After performing in England, probably he is also putting pressure on himself. He shouldn’t do that and just play his game. He actually played well today but just got a superb delivery from Hazlewood. More than Shubman Gill getting himself out, it was a wicket-taking delivery that got him. But he does look to be under pressure, just observing his body language because he has replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain, while also opening alongside him,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth backs Gill to improve
However, Srikkanth also backed Gill to recover his form in upcoming assignments and advised him to play his normal game. He further stated that a big knock or two in the three-match home ODI series against South Africa will see him get back to form.
“And on the other side, everyone is asking why Yashasvi Jaiswal isn’t playing. All that adds to his pressure. But he’ll get over it as he’s a fantastic player. He should just play his normal game because he’s getting his strides and shots right. He’s just getting out, that’s the only thing. So once he produces a couple of big knocks at home against South Africa, he’ll be set again,” Srikkanth added.
India's next ODI opponents to be South Africa
Meanwhile, after being handed a series defeat by Australia, India will be hoping to bounce back in their next one-day assignment that will be against South Africa and will commence from November 30. This will be the Men in Blue's final ODI series of the year before they travel to New Zealand in January, 2026 for another three-match series.