Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has praised captain Shubman Gill for accepting the tough challenge of playing all formats ahead of the Test series against South Africa at home. Ten Doeschate said that maintaining form and fitness in every format is a big challenge.
However, his performance in the white-ball format was below expectations, with inconsistent performances in both ODIs and T20Is. The decline in form has triggered a discussion among fans and experts on whether Shubman Gill’s increasing workload across all formats is impacting his consistency with the bat.
Shubman Gill has accepted this challenge – Ryan Ten Doeschate
Just days after the Australian tour, Shubman Gill is set to lead India in the home series against South Africa. The upcoming matches are part of the 2025–27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Speaking ahead of the series, Ryan ten Doeschate said that very few players are able to balance performances across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He also said that Shubman Gill and the rest of the team are dedicated to staying in top shape to meet the demands of all formats.
“Playing all formats is very challenging. That’s why you see less and less players playing all formats. Shubman Gill has accepted this challenge and is ready for it. The boys are working very hard to be in good shape for this challenge,” Ryan ten Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference (via RevSportz).
Nitish Kumar Reddy will be out of the eleven – Ryan ten Doeschate
Ryan ten Doeschate also hinted that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy may be left out of the playing eleven for the first Test against South Africa to make room for in-form Dhruv Jurel. Ten Doeschate said that Nitish remains an important part of the team.
“Our position on Nitish hasn’t changed. He didn’t get a chance in Australia. But looking at the challenge here, I think he may not be able to make it to the playing XI this week,” the assistant coach said.
“It is very important to balance the batting depth and specialist bowlers. We don’t want to sacrifice anyone just for the sake of bringing in an all-rounder,” he said.
Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant ready to play together
Dhruv Jurel’s excellent form for India A has strengthened his claim for selection. The young wicketkeeper-batsman scored two consecutive centuries (132 and 127) against South Africa A. He has scored three centuries and one half-century in his last eight first-class innings.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was included during India’s tour of Australia in the absence of Hardik Pandya, suffered a left quadriceps injury during the ODI series and missed the subsequent T20I.
Jurel and Rishabh Pant played together in the opening match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Perth. The first Test is scheduled to start from November 14 at Eden Gardens. India will look to extend their home record against South Africa, having won seven of the last eight Test matches between the two sides.
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