India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate came out in the defence of Shubman Gill after the latter was dismissed for a golden duck in the second T20I against South Africa. This saw the 26-year-old continue his dismal form in the format and was once again subjected to immense scrutiny by fans. He hasn't been able to replicate the success that he achieved in Tests and ODIs in the shortest format.
However, ten Doeschate backed Gill to deliver in the upcoming matches and remarked that he saw a change of mentality during the latter stages of India's white-ball tour of Australia in November. He further went on to highlight the batter's sensational record in IPL, adding that he believes in his class.
"I saw some good signs of a change of mentality (from Gill) on the backend of that Australian tour (in November). The two dismissals in this series (against South Africa), I thought in the first game we asked the guys to go out there and attack the Powerplay and it wasn't a great wicket at Cuttack, so I will let him off that one," ten Doeschate said in the post-match press-conference.
"And I thought he got a good ball today which can happen when you are short on form. But we also know the class. If you look at his IPL record where he stacks up 700 runs, 600 runs, 800 runs, 600 runs. We believe in his class and we believe he will come good," he added.
Ten Doeschate on Suryakumar's poor form
Ten Doeschate also expressed faith in the out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav. The India captain got dismissed for just five runs in the second T20I and once again failed to put up a big score. His last 50+ score in the format came in October, 2024 against Bangladesh and since then, he has been going through a rough patch.
"It's exactly the same with Surya. You mentioned about the leadership roles and we are quite far down the road now with our planning and how we have set the team up," ten Doeschate stated.
"Personally, I think you back quality players and quality leaders like that and they will come good. I can understand from the outside it looks like a concern, but I have got absolute faith in both of them coming good at the right time for us," he further added.
All level in the series
Meanwhile, the five-match T20I series is tied at 1-1 following South Africa's 51-run victory over India in the second T20I. It remains to be seeen as to who will come out on top in the third match that will be held in Dharamsala on December 14.