- By Vishal Pushkar
- Fri, 12 Dec 2025 06:22 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs South Africa: Indian T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill, who also leads IPL franchise Gujarat Titans, has found support from head coach Ashish Nehra after getting out on a golden duck in Mullanpur. Notably, Gill has been subjected to a lot of criticism from fans and experts for his lacklustre form in the T20I format. Nehra, who is often known to speak candidly, cautioned against writing Gill off after a couple of outings.
Gill has not been at his best in the T20Is ever since he made his comeback as vice-captain during the Asia Cup. He has accumulated 181 runs in the last 10 games at a strike rate below 140.
Nehra, while responding to a query from news agency PTI, stated that he wasn't worried about Gill's form even if the IPL was three weeks away.
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“Forget three months, had IPL been three weeks away, I (still) wouldn't be worried. Because you are talking about a format like T20. And only two matches have been played against South Africa, if I am not wrong," Nehra told PTI.
“This is our problem. In such a fast-paced tournament format, whether it's international cricket or IPL, if a player like Shubman Gill is judged after not coming good in two to three matches, then it will be difficult,” Nehra said.
In his inimitable style laced with sarcasm, Nehra said if one reckons that change is needed, then there are many options to be tried.
“You have a lot of options if you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and you can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad," Nehra said and his dig at critics wasn't lost on anyone.
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“If you want to remove them (Sai and Ruturaj), you can open with Washington Sundar and Ishan Kishan. So, you have a lot of options.
“Now, if you lose 1 or 2 matches, if the stats of the so-called batsmen or bowlers are not good and if you talk about changing them, then it will be difficult,” Nehra batted with full force for Gill.
Inputs from PTI