Whatever its length may be, a long rope is not endless. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are probably nearing the end of it. Both have been given a number of opportunities, considering their performances in the past and potential to do well in the future. After a series of low returns, including in the first innings of the second Test against England, it’s fair to say time is running out.
In Visakhapatnam, Gill and Iyer looked slightly better than they had in the recent past. They middled more than they did not, saw through the initial period when batters might take a bit of time to play themselves in and, just when it seemed a big score was round the corner, they got out. One can’t be blamed for saying that there was an element of inevitability in those eventualities.
This predictability about those dismissals is disconcerting for the team. Both had done the hard work to get set at the wicket and then got out. At his level, a specialist batter can be forgiven if he falls early a few times. But a chain of dismissals after getting those twenties and thirties shows a lapse in focus and an inability to convert starts. That’s sin for a Test batter.
Gill, whose average has dipped to 29.64, has gone 12 innings without a half-century after making 128 against Australia in Ahmedabad last year. In five of those, he made twenties or thirties. He appeared to be in good touch in Visakhapatnam until poking at a James Anderson outswinger. It was beautifully bowled, but a Test No. 3 who has opened many times should show a better understanding of what to touch and what not to when it comes to deliveries outside off.
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Iyer started his Test journey with a century against New Zealand. Coincidentally, he too has gone 12 innings without getting a fifty. He has also made five scores in the twenties and thirties in this period. Against an apparently harmless one from left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, he played a nothing shot to be caught behind. Not a rank short delivery, it wasn’t one to dismiss a Test No. 4 either.
Starting with Vinod Kambli and Praveen Amre in the 1990s, to Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh about 15 years later, and Karun Nair more recently, there are many examples of batters starting on an impressive note but failing to seal their places in the Indian team. Their failures coincided with the rise of others, who went onto become pillars of the batting unit.
That’s the unforgiving nature of sport. There is always someone or the other waiting to grab their chance. Sometimes, they are supremely talented. Sometimes, they make the cut by determination and hard work. Yashasvi Jaiswal is one such example. Rajat Patidar has made his debut. Sarfaraz Khan is waiting for a break. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will be back, whenever that may be. Soon, there will be no room for failures.
Gill and Iyer had their moments under the sun and that’s why they are persisted with. The team has been patient with them and rightly decided not to discard them after one or two failures. In Gill’s case, they even granted him the wish to bat at No. 3. So far, these two have not done justice to that faith shown in them.
The second innings in Visakhapatnam might be the last chance for these two batters, who are showing that talent is not enough to excel at this level. It is about what else you have to optimise that talent. Maybe the selectors will be forced to take a few harsh calls before the third Test. The current squad is only for this match.
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