Twenty-four runs. Two innings. One bowler. That was Shubman Gill’s return in his first Test as India’s full-time captain on Sri Lankan soil—both dismissals coming against left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya. It was a chastening start, and it left one question hanging over the series: Gill’s struggle against left-arm spin remains unresolved.
Part of the problem was conditions. Indian skipper Gill, a major problem going into the Sri Lanka series, was struggling to adapt to the conditions. Since Gill’s debut, India hasn’t played a single Test in Sri Lanka. So this was Gill’s first time playing in Lankan conditions.
Preparation compounded the problem. Unlike Devdutt Padikkal, Gill went into the series with his last month of cricket played in England—conditions about as far from the subcontinent as it gets. He also missed India’s warm-up fixture against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI, the one chance to recalibrate before the Test itself began.
Shubman Gill is a technically gifted player, but he is better suited to surfaces that reward shot-making. Galle demands a different approach. KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal showed what that adjustment looks like—Padikkal, in particular, took time to read the pitch and conditions, and once his eyes were set, played precise, controlled cricketing shots. Gill, by contrast, hasn’t found that gear.
Gill’s problems against left-arm spin aren’t new, and they aren’t confined to Sri Lanka. He has now been dismissed by left-arm spinners 11 times across 42 Test matches—a number that turns the Galle failure from a one-off into the latest entry in a well-established pattern.
Anil Kumble advice to Shubman Gill
Anil Kumble also says that Gill is getting exposed every time the ball goes straight on because he is holding the bat and pad together instead of getting the bat in front. And cricket commentator Aakash Chopra has said that when Gill is not backing himself fully into the angle, his backlift runs long and the bat arrives late—by which time the ball has done its work.
Gill spent Friday’s training session focused specifically on his game against left-arm spin, just two days before the second Test in Colombo—a clear sign the problem has been identified inside the camp, and that the next step is proving it under match pressure.
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Last Updated on August 21, 2026 by Aditiya Sharma
Passionate About Cricket.