12 December,2025 06:54 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Irfan Pathan (Pic: X/@IrfanPathan)
In the second T20I match against South Africa, Team India's Shubman Gill departed on a first-ball duck.
Following the dismissal, former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan said that Gill's poor patch in the format is putting pressure on himself and the team management.
"Shubman Gill will say he got a very good ball and looked stuck at the crease. For captain Suryakumar Yadav, I felt he needs to focus on his offside play. He was completely out of position when he got out...if Gill was in form, he would have played that ball easily. He is not in form," he said on JioHotstar.
"The runs not coming from Gill's bat is a bad sign and increases the pressure on him and the team management. They will be asking what to do. This situation should not get worse," added Pathan.
Further speaking, the former cricketer said that if the management brings in Sanju Samson, he will be expected to score big runs.
"If the runs still don't come, you can't just bring Sanju Samson back and expect him to perform, if he is also rusty. There are many questions. If they go back to Samson, it becomes very important for him to score runs," said the 41-year-old former cricketer.
Despite Shubman Gill's prolonged dip in form in white-ball cricket, several in-form players continue to be overlooked for opportunities in the national squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who recently struck a century in the second ODI against South Africa, has made a strong case for his inclusion.
Rajat Patidar, who did have an injury scare last week too, made his comeback for his state side and has been in exceptional touch, delivering consistent performances for Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Apart from Ruturaj and Patidar, the one player that seems to be extremely unlucky is Yashaswi Jaiswal. With great performances in the IPL and for the national side in the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa, Jaiswal is still forced to wait for his chance even though the current Indian T20 vice-captain fails to impress.
He also spoke about skipper Suryakumar Yadav's form in the shortest format of the game. He said that the Indian skipper needs to bring back his form before the T20 World Cup 2026 and come to bat at right position.
"Surya will be under pressure because he's the captain and as a captain, your slot in the playing 11 is secured automatically. As a player, if you haven't scored runs in a year, you are under pressure. His form has to come back before the World Cup (in February-March next year). He needs the right batting position and better shot selection. Surya has shown a pattern of playing straight balls to the leg side and getting out," said Irfan, who has scored 172 T20I runs for Team India.
He concluded by saying the 35-year-old cricketer has the ability to bring the ball in front of his eyes and make the most use of the pace.
"When you're not scoring, you should try to play in the off-side and in front. He has the skill to bring the ball in front of his eyes and use the pace, that's how he will start scoring again," he signed off.
(With PTI Inputs)
