"Everyone knows the talent he has but what they are looking for is consistency" - Ravi Shastri on Shubman Gill

Ravi Shastri believes Shubman Gill is an amazing talent and that the youngster's growing maturity will help him deliver consistently on the international stage.

Gill is part of the Indian squad for both the T20I and subsequent ODI series against New Zealand. Although the first T20I got rained off on Friday, November 18, the Punjab batter will hope to showcase his talent in the remaining five games.

During a discussion on Prime Video, Shastri was asked about his views on Gill's earlier comments that he was looking to minimize the dot balls through singles and doubles rather than just looking for boundaries and sixes. He responded:

"Shubman Gill has been around a long time. He came here, won the under-19 World Cup with Prithvi Shaw, who was the captain. Everyone knows the talent he has, amazing talent, but what they are looking for is consistency."

The former Indian head coach feels the 23-year-old has a greater awareness of his game now. He stated:

"He has threatened, he has promised, but I think the time has just about come now where he has understood his own game and that maturity will help him get the consistency."

Shastri added that once it's ingrained in your mindset that you have to play fewer dot balls, you get busy in the middle. According to him, that's the stage of the game where boundaries and sixes will come and the momentum of the innings will never drop.

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"The most important thing is him trying to understand his game" - Murali Kartik on Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is yet to make his T20I debut.

Murali Kartik pointed out that Gill doesn't seem to bludgeon the ball even while scoring at a fast pace. He said:

"There are lots of guys who go at a fair clip and still you feel that they are not beating around the ball or going hammer and tongs. Shubman Gill is one of them and the most important thing is him trying to understand his game."

The former Indian spinner feels the Gujarat Titans opener needs to grab whatever chances he is given. He observed:

"There is so much talent in Indian cricket, so many people vying for spots and he is one of them. He has gotten the chance and he wants to make sure that now is the time where he understands his game and plays to that. That's very important right now. Good to see he has done that."

Kartik concluded by opining that Gill fits straightaway into the opener's slot for the series, considering the regular top-order batters are missing.