Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth believes out-of-form opener Shubman Gill has reached rock bottom in T20Is with his string of low scores since returning to the Indian T20I side. Srikkanth advised the right-hander to realize that the only way forward from this point is up, urging him to take his time and get well-set.
Gill has been in woeful form since coming back to the Indian T20I setup ahead of the Asia Cup this year. He has scored only 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26 with no half-centuries.
Talking about Gill’s dismal form ahead of the fourth T20I against South Africa on Star Sports, Srikkanth said:
“The only advice I’ll give Shubman Gill is ‘Don’t be desperate’. Just leave the fact that you’ve not scored runs and play freely without any uncertainty. At this point, you have hit rock bottom, and the only way left is up.”
He added:
“So I would advise Shubman Gill to just wait a bit longer and even score a run-a-ball for the first 30 deliveries. Once you reach 40, you’ll get your confidence back. From the other side, the likes of Abhishek Sharma or Tilak Varma will take care of the scoring rate anyway.”
Gill has been dreadful with the bat in the ongoing South African series, averaging under 11 at a strike rate of 103.22 in three matches. His recent struggles have dropped his overall T20I average to just a tick over 28 in 36 games.
Team India looks to pull off another T20I series win despite Shubman Gill’s lean run
Despite Shubman Gill’s poor form with the willow, Team India remains in firm control of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. The hosts won the series opener by 101 runs before suffering a shocking 51-run defeat in the second T20I.
However, the Men in Blue got back on track with a resounding seven-wicket victory in the third T20I to take a 2-1 series lead. India has been in red-hot form in T20Is this year, winning 15 out of their 18 matches.
They have not lost a bilateral T20I series since the 2-3 loss in the West Indies in August 2023.
Suryakumar Yadav’s side will look to wrap up another T20I series win in the fourth T20I against the Proteas in Lucknow today (December 17).
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
