Former India's star all-rounder Irfan Pathan has issued a strong ultimatum to Shubman Gill regarding his place in the T20I side following the batter's disappointing outing in Australia. Pathan asserted that Gill needs to start scoring runs consistently in the T20 format, particularly because his current inclusion on the team is forcing the highly talented opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal, to remain on the bench. Gill was installed as India's T20I opener during the recent Asia Cup, a move that saw him displace Sanju Samson from the top of the order. However, his year-long T20I record remains shaky, having accumulated just 169 runs in nine matches, compounded by his failure in the recent Melbourne T20I against Australia.
In the last ten innings, Shubman Gill hasn’t even scored 200 runs in total: Irfan Pathan
Gill's outing in the Melbourne match was particularly poor, as he was dismissed for just 5 runs off 10 balls during India's ultimate defeat. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan acknowledged that the 26-year-old possesses significant potential, strong leadership qualities, and proven scoring pedigree in the IPL. Despite these strengths, the former all-rounder stressed that Gill is yet to translate that ability into consistent performance in T20 Internationals. Pathan believes that the pressure will inevitably mount on Gill if he continues to struggle to convert his starts, however small, into the kind of substantial scores required at the international level.
"Coming to Shubman Gill — look, Shubman replaced Sanju Samson, who had scored three centuries as an opener, to open for India in T20Is. Gill has potential, leadership quality, and has scored a lot in the IPL. But he has to perform. In the last ten innings, he hasn’t even scored 200 runs in total. So the pressure will build on him. He’s getting opportunities and backing, but he has to convert that into performances — which we haven’t seen yet," Pathan said.
It’s a problem that Yashasvi Jaiswal is on the bench: Pathan
Pathan reinforced his argument by explicitly pointing out the dilemma faced by the team management: the continued selection of Gill means that the exceptionally talented Yashasvi Jaiswal is being forced to sit on the bench. The former India cricketer stated that it is a serious problem when a player of Jaiswal’s caliber is left out of the playing XI. Pathan emphasised that because of this opportunity cost, Gill, who is currently the T20I vice-captain, bears a greater responsibility and must begin scoring consistently to justify the faith placed in him and validate his place ahead of a deserving peer.
"You have Yashasvi Jaiswal — a fantastic T20 player. We’ve seen him in the IPL with a strike rate of 160. If he’s sitting out while Gill keeps getting regular chances and doesn’t deliver, then the pressure will be on both him and the team. Gill needs to score consistently. Otherwise, Yashasvi — who’s not playing ODI cricket right now or T20s for India — a player that talented, who can do wonders, even score 200 in ODIs — it’s a problem that such a player is on the bench," he concluded.