Bridgetown: Shubman Gill was unsuccessful in the first One Day International between India and West Indies. Fans are now debating whether the Indian top order batter deserves to be in the Indian team ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad due to his performance in the first ODI.
It is a continuation of the top order batter's failure to make a significant score since the end of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
As he opened the innings on Thursday with Ishan Kishan, Gill scored seven runs off 16 balls. In order to give the other batters some time in the middle while India was chasing a meager 115-run target, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli decided to give up their usual positions in the top of the order.
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While Gill rarely appeared at ease and was ultimately caught at slips by Jayden Seales, Kishan scored 52 runs off of 46 balls.
It's the most recent in a string of poor performances from Gill in the games India has played since the 2023 IPL concluded. Gill received praise for his performances in the T20 tournament and in international games prior to that, but things have been difficult for him ever since. The first limited overs game he played since then was the first ODI against the West Indies.
Prior to that, India ultimately lost the World Tennis Championship after he fell for scores of 13 and 18 against Australia at the Oval.
Gill only managed to score six runs in the team's lone innings of the first Test against the West Indies, which served as the tour's opening match. Gill received a 10 on the second test and an unbeaten 29.
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Many believed Gaikwad now merited a chance after being dropped in the first ODI. Some also accused head coach Rahul Dravid of "favoritism" for selecting Gill over Gaikwad, and others criticized former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad for remaining silent about Gill while criticizing KL Rahul on numerous occasions.
The situation Gill is in right now is almost the exact opposite of how he was before the WTC Final. In the third Test in Ahmedabad, he had a century against Australia.
He had also hit centuries in ODI and T20I this season, and he was awarded the Orange Cap in the IPL for his 890 runs (at a strike rate of 157.80) in 17 matches, which included three centuries.
India easily defeated the West Indies by five wickets to win the first match of the ODI series. India made a bit of a mess of the chase after the hosts were destroyed in just 23 overs. Finally, Rohit entered the game at No. 7 and led the team over the finish line.
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