ENG vs IND 2022: It’s time we look beyond Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari – Karsan Ghavri

Former Indian fast bowler Karsan Ghavri believes it is time for the selectors to look beyond Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari. Both of these batters had a disappointing rescheduled fifth Test match against England as they could not deliver the goods.

Gill got off to a good start in the first innings as he scored 17 runs but he was dismissed by James Anderson when he decided to meddle with the wide off-stump delivery. The youngster was once again dismissed in a similar fashion in the second essay by England’s veteran pacer after scoring four runs.

On the other hand, Hanuma Vihari got off to starts in both the innings but he could not convert his score into a substantial one. Vihari scored 20 runs in the first innings while he could only manage 11 runs in the second dig but he was dismissed on both occasions when he was looking settled at the crease.

Meanwhile, Ghavri reckons batters like Sarfaraz Khan and Suryakumar Yadav, who have been performing consistently in the domestic circuit should be given their chances.

Khan amassed 982 runs in six matches at an outstanding average of 122.75. Furthermore, he scored his runs at an impressive strike rate of 69.54. The right-hander scored four centuries and two fifties in Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season as he has batted at the top of his game. Khan was awarded the Player of the Tournament after his impressive show.

“I think it’s time we looked beyond Hanuma Vihari and Shardul Thakur. Shubman Gill is a good future prospect, but where is his consistency?” Ghavri told Sportskeeda.

“Sarfaraz Khan and Suryakumar Yadav need to be drafted into the Test team as soon as possible. They are the future stars of Indian cricket. Our next Test series is against Bangladesh in November. Don’t think they are pushovers. We have to play against them with our best resources,” Ghavri said.

There is no doubt that pressure is rising on Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari to deliver the goods. In fact, a lot of cricket experts reckon that Gill can savor success in Test cricket as a middle-order batter but his chances of succeeding as an opener in the red-ball version are bleak.