Hyderabad, Jan 23: When BCCI selected Shubman Gill for the Cricketer of the Year award, it was a just reflection of the wonder 2023 he had in white ball formats.
Last year, Gill became the fastest batter to the 2000-run mark in ODIs, while making 1584 runs from 29 matches at an average of 63.36 including five hundreds.
Gill, who made his T20 debut in January last year, had a fair run in that format too while playing 14 matches for 335 runs with a hundred, also becoming one of those rare batters to score a century in all three versions of the sport.
But all this glitter masked a rather underwhelming season Gill had in Test cricket. Gill made just 304 runs from seven Tests at an average of 27.63 with a 128 against Australia being the lone saving grace.By no means, Gill has not been bundled into any last chance saloon but he will be mindful of the increasing competition from players such as Rajat Patidar, who made a rollicking hundred against England Lions in Ahmedabad recently.
But Gill needs a good run in the red ball cricket and the five-match Test series against England, beginning here on Thursday, offers him a brilliant chance to turn his fortunes around. (PTI)
