'Gill is trying to be like Sanju, this is not how he usually plays'

MUMBAI: Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has said that India’s T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill should play in his own style. He added that Gill should not try to play like Sanju Samson in the role of an opening batter. India had replaced Sanju Samson with Shubman Gill as the opener, along with Abhishek Sharma, in the first T20I match against South Africa. In that match, Gill managed to score only four runs, leading to criticism and trolling on social media.

“The most important question is: what is Shubman Gill’s role? Gill seems to be trying to play the way Abhishek Sharma plays. He hit a boundary off the first ball and then stepped out of the crease and tried to attack again. But it was the first over of the match. This is not how Gill usually plays. This is the first time he has done something like this in T20I cricket.

“There is no need for him to play like Sanju or Abhishek Sharma. He only needs to play like the Gill we know. He doesn’t have to try something different. Gill is a captain who has already secured his place in the team. It looks like he is trying to attack the way Sanju Samson does, even though Sanju is currently on the bench. Gill should trust his own strengths and try to score in his usual style,” Irfan Pathan said.