Shubman Gill’s early dismissal in the series decider against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore brought his technique under the spotlight, with Ravichandran Ashwin offering a detailed analysis of what went wrong. Chasing a firm target of 338, India needed stability at the top but Gill’s innings ended on 23 off 18 balls despite a smooth start that included four boundaries.
Gill was undone by a great delivery from Kyle Jamieson who tipped just wide and clawed back sharply. Pushing forward in defence, Gill allowed a slight gap to open between bat and pad and the ball beat the inside edge to hit the off stump. The dismissal came at a crucial stage in the chase which immediately increased the pressure on India.
IND vs NZ, 3rd ODI Update
Ashwin explained that such errors often occur when batsmen switch between white-ball and red-ball cricket. Gill’s natural style, shaped by strong usage from underneath, can sometimes make it difficult to adjust late when the ball comes back inside. Ashwin emphasized that this was not a fundamental error but a momentary loss of coherence and awareness.
The dismissal was in contrast to Gill’s excellent Test series in England in 2025, where he scored 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuriesconverts every fifty to a hundred. Ashwin concluded that Gill remains a high-quality player and this was a minor technical issue that can be quickly rectified.
Here’s how Ashwin decoded Shubman Gill’s batting technique
“Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) bhai talks about how Shubman’s batting was really close to the pad in England, where he made all his runs. I will try to illustrate the challenge for the modern batsman, the changes that mostly happen automatically when you go in and out of red-ball cricket.
“Figure 1: His natural receiving position, where the bat comes out of the gully, he naturally lifts the bat to hit the delivery because he has been trained to do so through years of practice.”
“Picture 2: He saw the line of the tee and re-directed the bat to meet the ball and he’s in great position so far.”
“The bat now has to start curving to meet the ball so that there is no gap between the bat and the ball.
“Picture 3: This is where the gap started to appear and he knows he’s in trouble because he pitched the ball and started to come back inside.
“He should be able to release his bottom hand a touch and maneuver his hands closer to the pads and handle that delivery.”
Pic 4 : if you can see close up, the bottom hand which is supposed to be for dexterity didn’t come loose allowing for a last minute adjustment. Even if he wants to close the gap, his lower hand, which is firmly on the handle, does not allow him to do so.
“That happened now but he managed to sort it out when he was playing Tests in England.
That has happened now, but he managed to sort it out while playing Tests in England.
Gill is a great player, this is not a huge fault, it can mostly be due to lack of awareness as his natural environment is to use his bottom hand dominantly. (especially when playing with the cue ball)
GILL IN DECENT FORM
Shubman Gill scored 135 runs from three matches in the 2026 ODI series against New Zealand at an average of 45.00 with a strike rate of 95.07. His outstanding effort was a decisive 56 in the opening ODI, which anchored India’s successful chase of 301 in Vadodara.
Gill’s contributions ensured stability at the top of the order and kept him among India’s leading run-scorers despite a heavy defeat in the second ODI. Although he fell cheaply in the series decider, his earlier performances highlighted his importance in setting the tone for the Indian batting.
– The end
Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
January 18, 2026