The pressure was mounting on Shubman Gill. Since his return as India’s T20I vice-captain in the 2025 Asia Cup, the opener hadn’t managed to hit even one half-century. It had been 13 innings. The issue was that neither his average nor his strike rate was impressive.
Concerns over Shubman Gill’s form
Back-to-back failures in Cuttack and Mullanpur didn’t do Gill any favours. In the buildup to the 2026 T20 World Cup, the importance of each remaining T20I match grew. That’s why, after each failure, Gill was receiving heavy scrutiny. Many were calling for the return of Sanju Samson as the opener.
Since Gill’s return, India doesn’t really have an opening partnership. While Abhishek Sharma continued to succeed, Gill just hasn’t made it work with him in tandem. Samson was successful in doing so during their 1-year stint as opener. With the series levelled at 1-1, all the eyes were on Gill. Another failure and calls for Samson’s return would have been even louder.
Luck on his side, but not runs
One could say luck wasn’t on Gill’s side. In Australia, on two occasions, he got great starts, but rain ruined the match. In Mullanpur, he edged the first ball and got out. With a little bit of good fortune, he might have escaped. Just like in life, in cricket, sometimes you need a bit of fortune.
In the India vs South Africa 3rd T20I, Gill got the rub of the green. On the very first ball he faced, the opener was adjudged out. 3 days ago, an edge was his doom; today, it saved him. But that was all he needed. By the end of the powerplay, Gill had hit 4 boundaries and was unbeaten on 20 (14).
On what was a challenging surface in Dharamshala, all Gill had to do was get some runs under his belt. Strike rate was never going to be an issue since India was chasing just 118. With the ball zipping past from time to time, scoring wasn’t easy.
In the 7th over, luck again favoured Gill. He edged the ball behind the wicket twice. On the first occasion, it went between the keeper and the second slip. The second time, it fell short of the second slip. Knowing the pitch was still playing tricks, and the target was very much in reach, Gill went into his shell.
He had scored just 8 runs in his last 13 balls before an inside edge, induced by Marco Jansen, rattled his stumps. While objectively, it wasn’t a great or poor knock, the scorecard will show 28 (28) next to Gill’s name. Considering what’s happened in the last 2 months, it isn’t exactly an improvement.
The important bit wasn’t the runs, but how he scored them. Gill never really looked fluent. You’d expect the longer he’d play, the better he’d get. But that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, Gill looked more underconfident in the second half of his innings. The pitch was tricky, but he wasn’t even able to rotate the strike.
Suryakumar Yadav also struggles
These are concerning signs. Tilak Varma didn’t play much quicker; in fact, his strike rate wasn’t even 100. But he didn’t look stuck like Gill did. But he wasn’t the only issue for India in what was a comprehensive victory in Dharamshala. India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, also didn’t go well.
Although he struck a couple of stunning hits, he holed out while playing his trademark flick over fine leg. The pitch had pace and bounce, both things that Suryakumar likes. Yet, he got out. If Gill’s form seems a headache, Surya’s lack of runs has been a disease that the doctors are unable to diagnose.
While Gill has returned to the team, one can still understand that he might be getting used to the tempo and rhythm, but that isn’t the case with Surya. Not only has he featured in all matches, but he has also been leading the team. You don’t want your captain to be the weakest link, and at the moment, that’s the case with India. And it isn’t much better when we talk about the vice-captain.
Despite these concerns, India has taken a 2-1 lead in the series. The bowling has done well; that’s why, despite two batters being woefully out of form, the Men in Blue are ahead. Going into India vs South Africa 4th T20I, the home side has the chance to seal the series, and for the non-performers to get back into form.
Shubman Gill & Suryakumar Yadav: T20I stats in 2025
| Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill | 15 | 291 | 47 | 24.25 | 137.26 | 0 | 0 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 18 | 213 | 47* | 14.20 | 125.29 | 0 | 0 |
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