"He is a top-class cricketer"- KL Rahul backs Shubman Gill to come good after another failure at No.3 for India in first Test against England

KL Rahul threw his weight behind teammate Shubman Gill, who has had a tough time as India's No.3 batter in Test cricket. The 24-year-old was dismissed for just 23 off 66 balls on Day 2 of the ongoing Hyderabad Test against England on Friday.

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen said on air that Gill was just putting pressure on himself by blocking most of the deliveries and not looking to rotate strike. However, Rahul felt that the youngster had walked out to bat late on Day 1 and the situation demanded him to play for stumps.

Speaking to Kevin Pietersen on Jio Cinema after the end of play on Day 2, KL Rahul explained why he felt that the dismissal was just a learning curve that would keep Shubman Gill in good stead. He said:

"He (Gill) is a top-class cricketer. He does play spin really, really well. We've seen that in white-ball cricket. It's about time that, he learnt from it."

Rahul added:

"I mean, you know, I'm sure he didn't want to get himself into a situation where he had to go over the top or had to had to play a shot just to break free. But yeah, that happens to all batters. And I'm sure he's already there thinking about what he'll do in the next one."

KL Rahul had a fine outing with the bat as he scored a crucial 86 and helped India get past England's first-innings score. The hosts ended Day 2 on 421/7, with a lead of 175 runs.

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Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed with Shubman Gill's dismissal

Former Indian legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar was on air on Day 2 when Shubman Gill chipped one straight to Ben Duckett at short mid-wicket. Gavaskar was disappointed looking at the shot selection from the right-hander and said:

"He (Gill) has done all the hard work, Shubman Gill and then you see a shot like that. Very, very disappointing. What kind of a shot was he look to play? One can understand if he was looking to play it in the air."

With every failure, the pressure on Gill to prove himself at No.3 is increasing exponentially. In nine Test innings at that position, the right-hander has scored just 189 runs at an average of 23.62.