Shubman Gill's father and coach Lakhwinder doesn't like him batting at No. 3

Shubman Gill’s father and first coach, Lakhwinder, says his son stepping out to bowlers has allowed him to once again get back among the runs though he doesn’t believe the decision to drop him to number three is correct.

Shubman had come under pressure after the first Test against England for lack of runs. He had gone without a fifty in 12 innings and was guilty of not playing his attacking game. However, he struck his second Test hundred (and first at No. 3) in the second innings of the Test in Visakhapatnam to silence the critics.

Most significantly, it was a major knock since dropping himself down to number three in the batting order from the opening spot.

His father, who watched Shubman get to his second hundred of the series on Friday, spoke about the reasons that helped the India batter arrest his slide.

“Stepping out has made a big difference, he had stopped doing that and that created pressure. Since his U-16 days, he has been stepping out to the spinners and pacers as well to cut the movement,” Lakhwinder told news agency PTI.

“The moment you don’t play your natural game you are in trouble. The whole game is about confidence, when you get one good innings you are back to your best. Since his U-16 days, he used to make tons of runs.”

Gill charged at both spinners and pacers on Friday including against the great James Anderson. In the first hour of play, Gill took two steps to hit Anderson down the ground for a six with dead straight bat.

Lakhwinder loves when his son plays the square cut and cover drive, and, both were on display at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

‘He should have continued to open’

Lakhwinder doesn’t agree with his son’s decision to bat at three. “He should have continued to open. It is not right at all I feel. When you sit in dressing room for longer, the pressure tense to increase. Number 3 is not opening neither it is a middle-order spot.

“Plus his game his not like that, it suits the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara who has a defensive game. When the ball is new you get more loose balls, when you come in after 5-7 overs, the ball is still shiny and the bowler is also settled with his length.”

However, Lakhwinder respects the decisions taken by his grown up son. “I don’t interfere in his decisions. I just train with him. He is old enough to make his own decisions. I made decisions on his behalf only when he was a teenager,” he said.

He also lauded the BCCI for making Ranji Trophy matches mandatory for India players when they are not on national duty. “The calendar is so busy that he hardly trains for red ball, it is white ball mainly. That is why it gets tougher against spinners with the red ball. It is good that BCCI has taken this step,” said Lakhwinder.