New Delhi: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said the lean form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, especially after another poor show in the 51-run loss in the second T20I, is a real cause of concern ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.
In the second T20I, Gill was dismissed on his first ball during India’s 51-run loss to South Africa in New Chandigarh on Thursday as the Proteas levelled the five-match T20I series at 1-1, while Suryakumar didn’t fare much better as he lasted just four deliveries for his five runs.
The duo have combined for just 21 runs through the opening two matches of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. The last time Gill and Suryakumar hit fifties in T20Is, it was more than 12 months ago.
“At the toss, we said it would not be bad for South Africa to bat first. Because they were chasing in the first match, and here in New Chandigarh, they batted first which meant you did not have the scoreboard pressure and you could bat freely.
“Quinton de Kock did a great job. But looking at this match, who should be credited? We have two points. One is the form of Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill which is a real cause of concern for India.
“Then there is South Africa’s bowling, it was a very good bowling performance. And Quinton de Kock is back in form, which is big news for South Africa,” said Pathan on JioStar.
With Gill enduring a second successive failure in the series and his tally standing at 263 runs from 14 T20Is this year, Pathan felt if the opener was in form, he wouldn’t have been out for a golden duck.
“Shubman Gill will say he got a very good ball and looked stuck at the crease. For captain Suryakumar Yadav, I felt he needs to focus on his offside play. He was completely out of position when he got out. About Gill’s dismissal, the ball from Lungi Ngidi was top quality. The angle he bowled from was excellent. But if Gill was in form, he would have played that ball easily. He is not in form.
“Ngidi has bowled only three overs to him so far in the powerplay in this series and got him out twice, giving just four runs. He is putting a lot of pressure on Gill with the new ball. The runs not coming from Gill’s bat are a bad sign and increase the pressure on him and the team management. They will be asking what to do.”
He also felt the thought of getting back Sanju Samson, who thrived as an opener before Gill took his position, shouldn’t be seen as an instant solution. “This situation should not get worse. If the runs still don’t come, you can’t just bring Sanju Samson back and expect him to perform if he is also rusty. There are many questions. If they go back to Samson, it becomes very important for him to score runs.”
In 19 T20Is this year, Suryakumar has managed to score just 201 runs at an average of 14.35 across 17 innings, and Pathan has suggested he should consider playing his shots more in the off-side.
“Surya will be under pressure because he’s the captain and as a captain, your slot in the playing 11 is secured automatically. As a player, if you haven’t scored runs in a year, you are under pressure. His form has to come back before the World Cup. He needs the right batting position and better shot selection.
“Surya has shown a pattern of playing straight balls to the leg side and getting out. When you’re not scoring, you should try to play in the off-side and in front. He has the skill to bring the ball in front of his eyes and use the pace, that’s how he will start scoring again,” said Pathan.
(IANS)
