Gautam Gambhir backs Shubman Gill after stellar ODI series against England

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], February 13 (ANI): Shubman Gill once again proved his class with a match-winning 112 off 102 balls in the final ODI against England in Ahmedabad, helping India secure a dominant 3-0 series victory. His exceptional performances throughout the series earned him the "Player of the Series" award, as he finished as the leading run-scorer with 259 runs at an average of 86.33 and a strike rate of 103.60.
Despite his success in white-ball cricket, Gill's Test performances have been under scrutiny. Addressing this, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir called for patience, urging critics to stop judging young players after every innings.
"Look, the problem is that we keep judging people after every inning. He's still a young batter. He's still 25. He's got a great future ahead of him," Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
He emphasized that Gill has already shown his capabilities in Test cricket and has the potential to excel in the format if given the right backing.
"If he's been consistent in one format, Test cricket is tough, and he's shown that he belongs to that format as well. I hope that going forward, he can actually deliver in that format too. If someone can do it in 50-over cricket, why can't he do it in Test cricket as well? He's played some really good innings in the Test format," he said.
Gambhir stressed the importance of trusting young cricketers instead of constantly questioning their place in the team.
"By judging a young cricketer after every inning, we're not going to carry Indian cricket forward like that. You've got to start putting trust in these young players. He's still 25. So, imagine what can happen in the next couple of years if we keep backing him and keep backing a lot of young cricketers in that dressing room. So, that is something we need to be clear about," he noted. (ANI)