"Shubman Gill's Form A Big Worry Ahead Of T20 World Cup": Ex-India Star's Blunt View
India batter Shubman Gill's woeful run in T20I cricket continues. The player was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the second match vs South Africa.
- Shubman Gill's poor run in T20I cricket continues. He was dismissed for a duck in the 2nd game vs South Africa
- "Gill's T20I form is a big worry ahead of T20 World Cup. Hopefully he finds his touch soon," wrote Pathan on X
- "Otherwise it could turn into a real catch-22 situation for Team India," he added
India batter Shubman Gill's woeful run in T20I cricket continues. The player was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the second match against South Africa in Mullanpur on Thursday, putting himself under further scrunity. After staying out of the T20I team for more than a year, Gill returned to the format ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. He was named vice-captain of the squad. To include him, India pushed then-opener Sanju Samson down the order, and the wicketkeeper-batter was eventually replaced with Jitesh Sharma.
Since his return to the T20I format, Gill has scored only 263 runs in 14 matches at an average of 23.90. His highest score during this phase is 47.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan pointed out that Gill's poor form is a big worry for the team in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to take place in February-March next year.
"Shubman Gill's T20I form is a big worry ahead of the T20 World Cup. Hopefully he finds his touch soon, otherwise it could turn into a real catch-22 situation for Team India," wrote Pathan on X.
Shubman Gill's T20i form is a big worry ahead of the T20 World Cup. Hopefully he finds his touch soon, otherwise it could turn into a real catch-22 situation for Team India.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 11, 2025
Notably, India play a total of 10 matches, including the ongoing South Africa series, before featuring in the T20 World Cup next year. This gives the team very little time to test its players and different combinations before the big event.
The idea of replacing Samson with Gill might come back to haunt India if the latter fails to get back to form.
Even though Samson and his Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma were doing the job at the top of the order, the team management showed immense faith in Gill's abilities as a T20 opener. The batter from Kerala was displaced, and he has since then struggled to find a place in the playing eleven.
The Test and ODI captain can seamlessly perform the role that Virat Kohli performed for India till the T20 World Cup last year, but the team, with batting options till number eight, has doubled down on its fearless approach since the triumph in Barbados, leaving little room for an anchor.
Gill certainly can't go hammer and tongs like Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay and therefore needs to figure out what works best for him.
(With PTI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Irfan Pathan