Don't know why Shubman is not opening: Father

Dharamsala: Shubman Gill's first coach and father, Lakhwinder, says his son stepping out to the bowlers again has allowed him to get back among the runs in Test cricket though he doesn't agree with his decision to bat at number three. Pressure was mounting on Shubman following the conclusion of the series opener against England. He had gone without a fifty in 12 innings and was guilty of not playing his attacking game. Playing with hard hands made matters worse.

However, he struck his maiden hundred in the second innings of Vizag Test to silence his critics. It was also his major knock since dropping himself down to number three from the opening spot. His father, who watched Shubman get to his second hundred of the series with a slog sweep here on Friday, spoke about the reasons that helped the India batter arrest his slide in red ball cricket. "Stepping out has made a big difference, he has stopped doing that and that created pressure. Since his U-16 days, he has been stepping out to the spinners and pacers as well to cut the movement," Lakhwinder told PTI.

Lakhwinder, who continues to train with Shubman whenever he is home in Mohali, also doesn't agree with his son's decision to bat at three. "He should have continued to open. It is not right at all I feel. When you sit in the dressing room for longer, the pressure tense to increase. Number 3 is not opening neither it is a middle-order spot. "Plus his game his not like that, it suits the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara who has a defensive game. When the ball is new you get more loose balls, when you come in after 5-7 overs, the ball is still shiny and the bowler is also settled with his length." However, he is a proud father and respects the decisions taken by his grown up son. "I don't interfere in his decisions. I just train with him. He is old enough to make his own decsions. I made decisions on his behalf only when he was a teenager," he said.