“Shouldn’t be double standards…”- Former India star suggests dropping Shubman Gill in IND vs SA 3rd T20I
The former batter of the Indian cricket team and the Royal Challengers Begaluru (RCB) suggests to drop the struggling opening batter, Joe Root, ahead of the third T20I against South Africa.
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The former Indian batter, Mohammad Kaif, has highlighted that the management must rest the struggling opening batter, Shubman Gill, in the ongoing T20I series, calling that the vice-captains had been dropped before. Gill’s return to the South Africa series wasn’t promising with scores of four and a golden duck. There is a loud noise of leaving out the batter of the eleven.
Shubman Gill has accumulated overall 263 runs in 14 innings at an average of under 24 and a strike rate of 142.93, with the best score of 47 runs against Pakistan, which came during the Asia Cup 2025. Kaif reckoned that there should not be double standards.
“Look at how he is getting out, caught at slip, stepping out and mistiming, trying aggressive strokes like Abhishek Sharma, and getting caught. He has tried everything. I think the time has come to give him a break and try players who are proven. Sanju Samson is a top-quality player; he hasn’t received enough chances. There should not be double standards. Even vice-captains have been dropped before.” Kaif expressed on his YouTube channel.
Mohammad Kaif calls for Shubman Gill’s exclusion from T20I series
If the management leaves out Gill, then they can bring Sanju Samson as the opener, which will open the door to having the wicket-keeping option. That will also push them to add an extra all-rounder or bowler in the eleven.
“But now it feels like the time has come for changes. You dropped players like Jaiswal, and you kept Sanju Samson on the bench without giving him consistent chances, even though he scored heavily as an opener. He hit three centuries in five T20 innings, something no one in history has done. Some players get very few chances.” Kaif highlighted.
“IPL conditions are different; international cricket against South Africa, Pakistan, England, and New Zealand is at a completely different level. I feel he has been given too much too soon. That is why he picked up that neck issue earlier. That was not really a neck issue; it was an accumulated workload taking a toll on the body. You cannot stay at your peak continuously.” The former batter concluded.
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