"This is what Virat Kohli does in ODIs" - Dinesh Karthik's massive claim on Team India star after AUS vs IND 2025 1st T20I

Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik hailed Shubman Gill for his sublime knock in the opening T20I against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29. Karthik paid Gill the highest compliment by comparing his 20-ball 37* to those ace batter Virat Kohli produces in ODIs with effortless ease.

Despite playing predominantly conventional shots, the Indian T20I vice-captain scored at a strike rate of 185 with four boundaries and a maximum. Gill's innings propelled India to a dominant position of 97/1 in the 10th over before rain played spoilsport and ultimately washed out the rest of the contest.

Talking about Gill's batting display after the no-result in the opening ODI, Karthik said on Cricbuzz (4:45):

"This is what Virat Kohli does in ODIs. You'll never know where he is till you look at the scorecard. You'll think he has only been around sometime and he'll be on 45."

Gill has been under immense pressure to score runs in T20Is, given his sudden inclusion in the side as the opener for the recent Asia Cup.

"I am sure he is aware of the kind of players he is keeping out, starting from Sanju ( opening), Yashasvi and the rest like Ruturaj and KL Rahul, etc. It's not easy to be a T20 player right now because you need to be consistent, exceptionally skilled and almost play a match-winning knock every second or third game. That's the kind of depth India has," said Karthik.

He added:

"But the fact that he is the Indian captain and vice-captain will give him a lot of confidence. That helps you up to a point but then you need to go out there and put out the runs, which he has done nicely today."

Gill did not play T20Is for a year before the recent Asia Cup, resulting in India breaking up the highly successful Abhishek Sharma-Sanju Samson opening combination.

"That partnership is a match made in heaven" - Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik believes Shubman Gill's bond with Abhishek Sharma makes their partnership a match made in heaven. The duo have been opening the batting for India in T20Is since the Asia Cup in Dubai.

While Abhishek was the Player of the Tournament in India's triumph, Gill struggled with an average of under 22 in seven games.

"The Asia Cup wasn't great for him but he took the opportunity today with both hands and played some lovely shots. That's the kind of knock you want to see from him. We all know he can get a hundred but at what pace you get the hundred is what everybody is looking at. If he bats like this, he'll do it quite nicely for India," said Karthik (via the aforementioned source).

Even after his unbeaten 37 in the series opener, Gill's T20I numbers do not make for good reading. The right-hander averages under 30 at a strike rate of 142.96 in 29 T20Is.