"He was a little too relaxed" - T20 World Cup winner's stunning claim on Shubman Gill ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash

Former India all-rounder and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Irfan Pathan has opined that vice-captain Shubman Gill looked too relaxed, which led to his dismissal for just five runs off eight balls in the final group-stage match against Oman on Friday, September 19, in Abu Dhabi. While Gill continued to struggle with form, India went on to secure a 21-run victory after posting 188.

Speaking on Sony Sports Network on Saturday, September 20, Pathan noted that there are no issues with Gill’s technique and expressed hope that he will be back in runs in the Super 4s game against Pakistan, scheduled for Sunday, September 21, in Dubai. He said:

“There is a need for runs, and the hope will remain that when playing against Pakistan, those runs will come because the feel-good factor is also there. See, the team and the management have given him stability. There is no doubt in this. You have been made vice-captain. A year ago you were playing. You had a big break in T20 cricket, coming back into the international team. If you score runs, you will feel much better, and I don’t think runs are very far.”

“The only thing is, yesterday when he was playing against Oman, it looked like he was a little too relaxed. That was clearly visible. Otherwise, the work he had done on his hand, on his leg, the gap between the hip and the hand that used to be there against the left-arm bowler with the ball coming in, he had worked on that. If that thing is happening again, it means I didn’t see a technical fault. Only thing is, the same thing appeared again. Maybe it was a mental switch. He played a slightly wider ball. He will come back again. I feel he will score runs,” he added.

In the three games so far, Shubman Gill has scored 35 runs at an average of 17.50.

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“You were not watching that much” - Abhishek Nayar weighs in on T20 being Shubman Gill’s least natural format

In the same conversation, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar agreed that T20s are Shubman Gill’s least natural format, while also noting that the 26-year-old is just one good knock away from returning to his best. He said:

“Actually fair to say (On T20s being Shubman Gill’s least natural format), I mean the beginning, because his father was also there and the thinking is of making big runs. And at that time T20 cricket was also not there, so you were not watching that much. So it’s very natural. See, the strength was always there. But to hit big shots he used to take time in the beginning. Especially when he was at KKR. After that there was a transition for him. On the strategy side, he didn’t make many technical changes but became more capable tactically.”

“But somewhere I believe that it feels like just one innings back in T20 cricket in international cricket where, like Irfan said, you will score runs, then you will see that same thing which you see in every format. That is consistent runs. Or, there is the need to play that format, and here the pitches are also a little difficult. It’s not that they are very easy for the batsman. So I think one good knock and he is that kind of player who will keep scoring runs,” he added.

Shubman Gill has featured in 24 T20Is, amassing 613 runs at an average of 29.19 and a strike rate of 139.63, hitting three fifties and one hundred.