"A player like him can play anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5" - Wasim Jaffer rates Shubman Gill's performances at No. 3 in India vs West Indies Tests

Wasim Jaffer believes Shubman Gill can play anywhere in the batting order in Test cricket. However, he added that the stylish batter failed to grab his opportunities at No. 3 in the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies.

Gill was given the No. 3 position for the two-match Test series against the Windies based on his request, with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the batting with Rohit Sharma. However, the Punjab batter was dismissed cheaply in two of his three innings, succumbing to spin and pace once apiece.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Jaffer was asked to rate Shubman Gill's performances against the West Indies after choosing to bat at No. 3, to which he responded:

"He is a good player. A player like him can play anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5. Shubman Gill has a game like that. He would have thought something before doing that. I remember he was playing at No. 3 or No. 4 in the Under-19 World Cup as well."

The former Indian opener wasn't surprised by the youngster's decision to bat at No. 3, explaining:

"However, we have consistently seen him open. I am not surprised about his decision to choose No. 3. We openers had a problem sometimes when we fielded for 150 overs and had to go and face the new ball within 10 minutes. So No. 3 gives you a little cushion."

However, Jaffer rated Gill at four out of 10 for his below-par performances against the Windies, reasoning:

"You get to see the bowling and the pitch. Maybe that could be one of the reasons. I would give him four marks because he got two good opportunities. However, these are early days, it's not a huge concern, but the tour has not been good."

Gill aggregated 45 runs at an average of 22.50 in his three innings against the West Indies. He managed only 16 runs in his first two innings and didn't look too comfortable at the crease.

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"He will have to tighten his game a little on slow pitches" - Wasim Jaffer on Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill likes to drive the ball on the up.

Wasim Jaffer pointed out an area of improvement in Shubman Gill's game, stating:

"He will have to tighten his game a little on slow pitches. Maybe he has a slight habit of playing on the rise. If he can improve on that, it's not a big cause for worry, but that is one thing he needs to tighten."

The cricketer-turned-commentator was further asked when Gill will be able to replicate his white-ball performances in Tests, to which he replied:

"It shouldn't take too much time because he has scored a hundred in Bangladesh. You have similar conditions there - low and slow, spin-dominated. He plays cricket in India as well. So it is not that he is unaware of Indian wickets. It's just about a little experience. If he spends a little time and works on it, it shouldn't be a big issue."

Gill has aggregated 966 runs at an underwhelming average of 32.20 in 18 Tests. On the flip side, he enjoys excellent averages of 65.55 and 40.40 in ODIs and T20Is respectively, and was in scintillating form in IPL 2023.