Ex-India coach highlights major flaw in Shubman Gill's batting ahead of 4th T20I vs SA

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has pointed out the issue with Shubman Gill's batting and noted that the latter has been quite vulnerable to straight deliveries as of recent. He further highlighted that the 26-year-old has also faced problems from deliveries pitching outside the off-stump and has ended up edging many of them.

These comments come after Gill has given dismal performances with the bat in the first three T20Is of the ongoing series against South Africa. He has only scored a total of 32 runs in the first three games and has gotten dismissed for cheap. He has also come under sharp criticism for his poor form in the shortest format especially with the 2026 T20 World Cup on the horizon.

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“In the beginning, his footwork was very positive. But if you remove three or four boundaries over 28 games, the issue has been on straighter lines. Against straight deliveries, his strike rate has fallen quite low. Outside the off stump, his strike rate is good, but there have been a few edges as well," Bangar said on JioStar.

Bangar backs Gill to improve

However, Bangar also went on to back Gill to deliver in the upcoming games and remarked that if he could improve his footwork, then he will be able to score runs and boundaries consistently.

“Overall, he has scored runs, but straight-line play is something he will want to improve. In the second game, the ball that got him out was a very good delivery—it could have dismissed any batter. His footwork has improved, and if he continues to play with clear footwork, he will be able to hit the same shots consistently, like the three or four boundaries we’ve seen," he added.

Gill's dismal T20I form

Gill was brought back into the T20I set-up in the 2025 Asia Cup, but hasn't been able to give any remarkable perfformance since then. The batter is yet to register a 50+ score ever since his return to the format and has only scored 291 runs in 15 games. It is safe to say that Gill is going through a lean patch and it remains to be seen as to if he will be able to improve in the remaining two T20Is against South Africa.