S Badrinath claims selection bias: 'If Shubman Gill was from Tamil Nadu, he would've been dropped'

Subramaniam Badrinath takes aim at Shubman Gill. (Photo: PTI)

Shubman Gill, regarded as one of India's most promising young batters, has come under heavy criticism following a disappointing performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Gill managed to score only 93 runs across five innings, leaving fans and cricket experts disheartened.

Former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath has now stirred controversy with a bold statement, asserting that if Gill were from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped from the Indian cricket team after such underwhelming performances in Test cricket.

Speaking on Star Sports Tamil, Badrinath said, "It is very difficult for me to see this. For that level, he has not lived up to expectations. You can get runs, you cannot, but there should have been intent and aggression. I wanted him to tire out the bowlers."

"I want you to make the ball old. Help your teammates and stand firm even if runs are not coming. Play 100 balls, tire the bowlers. This is what your team contribution [is supposed to be]. Labuschange and McSweeney did that in a couple of games. By playing out a lot of dot balls, they had actually made Bumrah injured," he added.

Badrinath also alleged that if Shubman Gill was from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped.

"If this was Shubman Gill from Tamil Nadu, he would have been dropped."

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Gill slammed for poor fielding

Adding to the criticism, Shubman Gill's fielding has also come under the spotlight. Former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath criticized Gill's performance in the field, claiming he is unreliable even in the slips and questioning his overall contribution to the team. Badrinath pointed out that Gill not only struggled with the bat but also fell short in fulfilling his fielding duties during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Badrinath signed off by saying, "You must not go there and say, ‘Oh, this is the way I play. I will stand and deliver. Four people will write about it. Whatever you can do, at that time, you try and do. In this series, I did not get it from Shubman. Even on the field, he was poor. He couldn't stay in slip and point. What does he contribute to the team?"