Shubman Gill's slump in form with the bat has been one of the major talking points for India on their tour of Australia. The young skipper, who captains India in Test matches and ODIs, has found it difficult to get going in the shortest format, with both his consistency and strike rate coming into question.
Gautam Gambhir seen in a deep discussion with Shubman Gill ahead of fourth T20I
Prior to the fourth T20I match at Carrara Oval in Gold Coast, head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen having a lengthy conversation with Gill during training, and it appeared to be quite an intense conversation. While the rest of the team was moving through their drills, Gambhir also seemed to provide some tactical and mental advice to his misfiring opener. This energized speculation amongst fans that the conversation may have centered around Gill's dip in form and perhaps solutions to it, ahead of a crucial fourth T20I match.
Since his T20I return at the 2025 Asia Cup, Gill has struggled to convert starts into a meaningful innings. In his last 10 innings, he has accumulated just 184 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 146, with a top score of 47. His ODI numbers aren’t any better - just 43 runs in three matches against Australia last month too.
His most recent scores from across formats (0, 9, 24, 37, 5, and 15*) illustrate a player desperately trying to find a rhythm. The only time Gill appeared assured of himself was in Canberra when he and Suryakumar Yadav had built a healthy partnership before the rain arrived.
Gill has now played 31 T20Is and scored 762 runs at an average of 28.22, with a strike rate of 140.85, with *three fifties and a century (126 v New Zealand)**. Additionally, with Gill being the vice-captain of the T20I squad, he is under even more pressure to perform. Gill's continued selections have, however, left the dynamic and explosive Yashasvi Jaiswal benched, furthering the debate of whether Gill should be playing.
