"I want to see that improvement in Shubman Gill's approach" - Saba Karim urges the Indian opener to play match-winning knocks

Former cricketer Saba Karim believes that Team India opener Shubman Gill will have to play match-winning knocks for his side in order to establish himself in the international arena.

Karim pointed out that youngsters like Gill should seize their opportunities, delivering impactful performances in challenging situations. He cited Ishan Kishan's brilliant 210-run effort in the third ODI against Bangladesh in December last year as an example.

The 55-year-old stated that he expected Gill to do something similar during India's run chase in the second Test against the Bangladeshi side. He noted that the opener failed to make the most of the chance, scoring just seven runs before being dismissed.

Speaking to India News Sports on Monday, January 1, Karim explained:

"According to me, it is very important for these youngsters to play match-winning knocks whenever they are given the opportunity. They need to play impactful knocks, just like Ishan Kishan did against Bangladesh.

"I was expecting something similar from Shubman Gill during the second Test match. However, he wasn't able to play a match-winning knock in the second innings. I want to see that improvement in Shubman Gill's approach."

Gill will next be seen in action during the Men in Blue's upcoming home series against Sri Lanka. The right-handed batter has been named for both the T20I and ODI matches.

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"They have a very bright future" - Rajkumar Sharma on Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad

During the aforementioned discussion, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma stated that openers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad could emerge as integral parts of the Indian team in the near future.

He emphasized that the two youngsters have the ability to perform in difficult conditions, given their technical prowess. Sharma also suggested that both batters just need to play a few big knocks to make a name for themselves.

"I have followed both Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad's careers very closely," Sharma said. "They are immensely talented players. They have a good range of shots and are capable of scoring runs in all corners. They bat with positive intent and are very attacking. They have a very bright future.

"All they have to do is play one or two big knocks to be able to establish themselves. Gill has done that in red-ball cricket, and he needs to do the same in limited-overs cricket as well. The same goes for Ruturaj. He is technically very sound and is capable of scoring runs in challenging conditions."

Ruturaj was also named in Team India's T20I squad for the Sri Lanka home series. The opening encounter of the T20I series is set to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3.