‘He’s known for his attacking game’ – Danish Kaneria wants India to make one change in the third T20I against New Zealand

Star Indian opener Shubman Gill has failed to bring his ODI form into T20Is. The 23-year-old has played five matches so far in the format and has scored just 76 runs at an average of 15.20 and a strike rate of 128.81. Commenting on Gill’s dismal run in T20Is, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has backed an ‘exciting young cricketer’ to replace him in the third T20I against New Zealand.

Gill fell cheaply in the second T20I against the kiwis on Sunday scoring just 11 runs off 9 balls in the low-scoring thriller in Lucknow. He also had a forgetful outing in the first T20I as well managing to score just 7 off 6 balls. Speaking on his YouTube channel about Gill’s dip in form, Kaneria urged the Indian team management to replace him with Prithvi Shaw for the upcoming series decider against New Zealand on Wednesday.

“It’s the last game. You’ve seen how Shubman Gill plays. Prithvi Shaw is an exciting young cricketer. He is known for his attacking game. You can give him a chance in Shubman Gill’s place. Shaw has the flair. If he plays consistently, he can do wonders,” Kaneria said.

Shaw made his return to the Indian side after scoring the second-highest first-class score by an Indian batter in the Ranji Trophy. However, his performance wasn’t enough to seal a place in the first two matches of the New Zealand series. The Delhi Franchise star last played for India in July 2021 against Sri Lanka. Shaw has played just one T20I so far where he got out on a duck.

Gill needs to look at the flaws in his batting: Danish Kaneria

Though Kaneria hailed Gill as a fantastic batter, the former Pakistan spinner and full-time cricket pundit feels the India batter has some room for improvement.

“No doubt Shubman Gill is a fantastic batter, but he needs to look at the flaws in his batting. He needs to work on playing against spin bowlers. India have won, but there is a need for improvement. At times, there’ll be difficult conditions,” Kaneria added.

The third and final T20I between India and New Zealand will be played on Wednesday at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.