Irfan Pathan fires warning to Shubman Gill after dismal performance vs SA, urges him to improve form before T20 World Cup

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan remarked that Shubman Gill needs to improve his form before the 2026 T20 World Cup, otherwise the team will be in a lot of trouble. He also feels that the star batter needs to score runs in order to earn his spot in India's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. These comments come after Gill's poor batting performance in the first two T20Is of the five-match series against South Africa.

Notably, Gill was dismissed for scores of 4 and 0 in the first and second T20I respectively. Despite playing as India's opener alongside Abhishek Sharma since the 2025 Asia Cup, Gill hasn't been able to live upto expectations and hasn't managewd to score a single half-century since his return in the format.

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Pathan had a clear-cut warning in store for Gill and stated that with the T20 World Cup nearing, he badly needs to improve his form otherwise he will be under more pressure heading into such an important tournament.

“The main topic is of Shubman Gill. He is the vice-captain and the World Cup is nearing. But runs are not coming, and he is struggling for form. He must make runs if he is to cement his spot in the T20I side, else he will be under more pressure," Pathan said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

Pathan on Samson

Pathan further said that Gill's poor performances will also affect Sanju Samson as he will be expected to score runs right away if he returns to his opening spot. He further highlighted how big of a problem the Men in Blue will face if Samson also failed to deliver.

“Gill got out for a first-ball duck in the second T20I, but it isn’t his game to step out and play as he did in the first match. Whenever he doesn’t make runs, the pressure will pile on because Sanju Samson is currently benched," Pathan stated.

“If Sanju Samson is brought into the side and doesn’t make runs, then India will be in a catch-22 situation. But if India are backing Shubman Gill for the World Cup, he must make runs," he added.

The series hangs in the balance

Meanwhile, the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa is currently tied at 1-1. Both the teams will be hoping to take the valuable lead in the third game that will be held in Dharamsala on December 14.