"He hasn't even scored a total of 200 runs" - Former all-rounder's massive take on Shubman Gill's spot in India's XI after AUS vs IND 2025 2nd T20I

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has opined that vice-captain Shubman Gill needs to start converting his opportunities into performances, especially with Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings. Pathan’s remarks came after the second T20I of the five-match series against Australia, played on Friday, October 31 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Asked to bat first, India were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs, with Gill managing just five off 10 balls. In reply, the hosts comfortably chased down the target in 13.2 overs, winning by four wickets.

Following the game, in a video on his YouTube channel, Pathan noted that Gill hasn’t performed well in his last 10 innings and that the pressure will be on him, given Jaiswal’s strong presence waiting in contention in both white-ball formats. The 41-year-old said:

“In his last ten innings, he hasn’t even scored a total of 200 runs, so the pressure will be on him. He’s getting opportunities, he’s getting the backing, but he needs to convert those chances into performances, which hasn’t happened yet.”

“You have Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting on the bench, an outstanding T20 player we’ve seen in the IPL, striking at around 160. If a player like that is sitting out while Shubman Gill continues to get regular chances and still can’t make them count, then pressure will build on him and on the team. That’s something the management needs to pay attention to," he added.

Pathan continued:

“Shubman Gill needs to score consistently, that’s very important. Otherwise, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who isn’t playing ODI or T20 cricket for India right now, is such a talented player that he’s capable of doing wonders. He can even score a double hundred in ODIs, that’s how good he is. And in T20s, he has the ability to score a hundred. So, having a player like him sitting out is something the Indian team needs to pay serious attention to.”

In 2025, Shubman Gill has played nine T20Is, scoring just 169 runs at an average of 24.14 and a strike rate of 148.24, with a top score of 47.

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A look at Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stats in T20Is

Shubman Gill made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in January 2023 and has since played 30 matches in the format. The opener has scored 747 runs at an average of 28.73 and a strike rate of 141.20, registering three fifties and one century.

Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal has featured in 23 matches since making his debut against the West Indies in August 2023. The explosive left-hander has amassed 723 runs in 22 innings at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 164.31, including five fifties and one hundred.