“All of a sudden we talk about replacing him” - Former captain’s huge remark on Shubman Gill ahead of IND vs SA 2025 3rd T20I

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers defended India opener Shubman Gill ahead of the third T20I. The third game of the five-match series will be played on Sunday, December 14.

Shubman Gill has been facing tremendous pressure owing to his poor returns in T20I cricket. He had scores of four and zero in the two games so far. Moreover, since his comeback into the T20I side, he has managed just 263 runs in 14 games at an average of 23.90.

Gill's place in the team has been questioned, with players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson sitting out. However, AB de Villiers called for some patience to be shown with Gill. He reckoned that India needed someone like him to bring stability amid an aggressive batting line-up.

De Villiers also added that he would not panic about Gill's form and would not replace him in the T20I side either. He made a bold statement that Gill would deliver in big matches in the future.

"Shubman's failed once or twice and now of a sudden we talk about replacing him. Be a bit patient with him. We need someone like him because you have so many aggressive batters in that line-up. Yes, Jaiswal is one of the best, there is place for him but I would not put him for Gill. I will move Gill to three and have Jaiswal to open. But then you will have two left-handers and maybe the bowlers can work them over. It is a headache for Team India, but a good one to have. I wouldn't pull the panic button on Shubman. He's got character. Mark my words, he's going to score you runs in big matches, he's going to be the guy you want. I wouldn't replace Gill," he said on his YouTube channel.

Gill would aim for an impressive performance in the third T20I and the remainder of the series. In the format, he has scored 841 runs in 35 matches at an average of 28.03 and a strike rate of 140.40 with a hundred and three fifties.

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AB de Villiers comments on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid IND vs SA T20Is

AB de Villiers also praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid the ongoing T20I series. In the recently concluded ODI series, Rohit and Kohli played a massive part in India winning 2-1. Post the series, Rohit climbed to the No.1 spot while Kohli jumped to No.2 in the ICC ODI rankings for batters.

"Rohit and Virat at the top, is that not wild? They are not playing a lot of cricket these days, but are No.1 and 2 in the world. I'm not a big fan of rankings, but it just shows what kind of class India has in that ODI setup. Going into the World Cup, to have these two at the top is phenomenal. I think they've made a good decision to put emphasis on the ODI format, keeping in mind the World Cup is around the corner," he said.

Rohit made 146 runs in three games at an average of 48.67 with two half-centuries. Kohli had a stellar series, smashing 302 runs in three games at an average of 151 with two centuries and a half-century.