Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has thrown his weight behind young Indian batsman Shubman Gill after he once again failed to impress in the first innings of the second Test in Visakhapatnam. After a blistering start to his Test career, Gill's average has dropped to 29.5. In 21 Tests he has scored just 1063 runs, with two centuries and four 50+ scores in the process. However, Pietersen believes that the Indian team management should give him more time to establish himself, insisting that the youngster could achieve big things like former South African great Jacques Kallis, who also had a poor start to his Test career.
“Kallis averaged 22 in his first 10 Tests and proved perhaps the best player to play the game. Give @ShubmanGill time to find it, please. He's a serious player!”, Pietersen posted on X ( formerly Twitter).
Kallis averaged 22 in his first 10 Tests and proved arguably the best player to play the game.
To give @ShubmanGill time to find it, please.
He is a serious player! #INDvENG
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) February 2, 2024
However, fans on social media criticized Pietersen for comparing Gill's situation to Kallis, who is arguably the greatest Test player of all time due to his all-rounder performances.
This is how the internet responded:
Involving Kallis in this is absurd. Kallis brought value to his team with both bat and ball. Gill is just a batsman.
If Gill can be Kallis, 'according to your logic', so can Sarfaraz, Shaw and many others. Give everyone a 40-inning run and see who has a better chance of making a…
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) February 2, 2024
Comparing past players to current fortunes is not ideal. Given the amount of cricket and players available, it is best to work with format specialists. With the exception of 1-2 multi-format players. Gill,Iyer is only eligible for white ball. Domestic/FC Artists for Tests.
— Pranjal Ganesh Bhadti (@Pranjal_Bhadti) February 2, 2024
How much time? India got some serious talent in the domestic circuit. Time to move on and try some youth
— Karthik (@vsk_says) February 2, 2024
Kallis could also bowl a few overs and was one of the biggest slip catchers. He had more use to earn the support. That said, Gill is a special talent, but the Indian batting pool is a crowded space, so there's only so much support you can get
— Global.baba (@Globalbaba8) February 2, 2024
KP I understand that Shubman Gill needs to get time, but let's be brutally honest: he doesn't come close to Jacques Kallis…
— Praneet Samaiya (@praneetsamaiya) February 2, 2024
After conceding just 23 runs in the first Test against England, Gill showed some intent before falling to James Anderson on 34. Gill has struggled to score runs since his recovery from dengue during the World Cup.
His demotion to no. 3 in Tests, following the emergence of Yashasvi Jaiswal as a reliable Test opener, also seems to be a work in progress.
Talking about Day 1 of the second Test, India managed to post 336/6 on the board while Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin were unbeaten with scores of 179* and 5* respectively.
The Vizag continued to witness Jaiswal's skill with the bat, his maturity to stick to his target and keep the scoreboard ticking while stitching together small but effective partnerships.
Jaiswal's calmness ensured that he had a good balance between attack and defence. At 179*, he scored 17 boundaries and hit five maximums, forcing England to rethink their plans.
India stumbled thrice in the third session of the day, with Rajat Patidar, Axar Patel and KS Bharat falling at the expense of England spin duo Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir.
With ANI inputs
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