Shubman Gill will struggle in English conditions if the Australians bowl well: Greg Chappel

Greg Chappell and Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Former Australia cricketer Greg Chappell believes that young Indian batter Shubman Gill will struggle against Australia’s bowling attack in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The second edition of the WTC final, which will take place from June 7 at The Oval in London, will see the clash between Rohit Sharma-led India and Pat Cummins’ Australia. 

The 23-year-old, who has had a lot of success in all formats of the game in the previous seven months, is likely to open the batting for India in the showpiece event alongside captain Rohit. Chappell feels Gill will struggle to cope with the extra bounce and pace if Australian pacers hit the appropriate line and lengths at The Oval since the youngster has some things that make him vulnerable. He did, however, admit that he is a terrific player and that he would punish Australia if they did not bowl effectively. 

“I don’t wanna go into too much detail, but I’m sure the Australians must have seen a couple of things that I have seen. There are little things that Shubman does a few things early in his innings that make him vulnerable to that length around off stump, and if the ball bounces a little bit extra, he will susceptible to nicking off behind the wicket. But he’s a very good player. If they don’t bowl, he will punish them,” Chappell said on Backstage with Boria.

Mitchell Starc can trouble Gill with his extra pace: Chappell

Chappell, a former India head coach, believes Australia pacer Mitchell Starc can cause problems for Gill with his extra pace. The 74-year-old also stated that if Josh Hazlewood is able to play, he could pose a challenge to the Indian batter. He added that if Hazlewood is unable to play, Scott Boland, who can trouble anyone, will likely take his place. 

“Gill has been to England before. He will struggle like anyone in English conditions if the Australians bowl well. The bowlers who will trouble him most are the ones who get that extra pace like Mitchell Starc. That can worry anyone. The extra pace gets good players out. The extra bit of bounce also gets good players out and I think if Hazlewood is fit to play then he can be a problem for Shubman. If Hazlewood doesn’t play then Boland will most likely play and he’s another bowler who can trouble anyone. He bowls a good line. He knows what a good length can be in English conditions,” Chappell added.

The former Australia batter further praised Gill and the Indian cricket system, which fosters young players better than other nations in the world. According to Chappell, Gill is an experienced player who has played international cricket, scored runs, and played a lot of first-class cricket.