India slid to 156 all-out in their first innings of the second Test match against New Zealand, placing the team in a spot of bother as the Kiwis threaten to become the first team in over a decade to travel to India and win a Test series.

India were in a decent spot with Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal forged a partnership early on day two, but the collapse began following Gill’s dismissal. The right-hander was caught LBW by Mitchell Santner on 30, having been set at that point with some powerful shots for boundaries.

No batter could get set after the dismissal of Gill, as Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan all fell cheaply in the middle order.

Former India coach Anil Kumble was of the opinion that Gill should have looked to continue to attack instead of going into a defensive shell, due to a variety of reasons. To begin with, Kumble explained that Gill’s defensive style places him in trouble as an LBW candidate, with his bat and pad often being close together.

“It was very evident that on a surface like this the odd ball was going to turn,” explained Kumble for broadcasters JioCinema. “If you can consistently hit the right lengths, it is going to skid if you hit the grassy patches, and it is going to turn if you hit the dry patches. With the kind of technique that Shubman has, bat and pad close to each other, he faced a conundrum,” explained the legendary leg-spinner.

“With the advent of DRS, techniques have changed, the bat needs to be in front. That is something that did not go his way. Even in the first over, there was a close call. That is something he must work around,” said Kumble. The commentators during the early overs analysed how Gill’s style differed from Jaiswal’s, with the southpaw defending with the bat well ahead of his pad.

‘He was just looking to survive…’

Kumble then went on to signal that he would wish for Gill to be more front-foot and aggressive in his batting, with the former coach explaining that Gill is in the best form when he places pressure onto the opposition.

“And I feel that Shubman Gill is at his best when he is looking to attack the bowlers rather than looking to survive. Because of the pressure applied by the New Zealand bowlers, he was just looking to survive the initial overs,” concluded Kumble.

While Gill is now playing in the number three role that is typically seen as a defensive position, he is a more attacking batter in general, and might be looking to play that role in forthcoming games. Gill faced 72 deliveries before falling to Santner, who went on to take career-best figures of 7-53 in Pune.

India conceded a 103-run first innings lead to the visitors, who ended day two by extending the lead to 301 runs thanks to a brilliant innings by Tom Latham and contributions throughout the order. The Black Caps still have five wickets in hand.

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