Shubman Gill‘s continues to struggle during the Asia Cup 2025, with the failure against Oman being the latest. The uncrowned king of Indian cricket Shubman Gill needs to find his footing in the new system, with the Pakistan game now being a real test of his credentials.
A few months ago, when Shubman Gill was timing the ball to perfection and hitting boundaries in England, the drives were exquisite and the crowd was on its feet. Fast-forward to September 19, in a game against Oman, the same touch seemed to desert him. The India vice-captain Shubman Gill went for a drive, but the ball sneaked through and sent his off-stump cartwheeling.
The fans weren’t backing the “Prince of Indian cricket” at that point and slammed him for being part of a format where he seemed out of place. The Indian T20I setup underwent a massive overhaul after the 2024 World Cup win, bringing in explosive batting led by the openers and middle order. Sanju Samson excelled as an opener, while Tilak Varma shone at No.3 when India dominated South Africa on their home turf.
The England series followed, and it was Abhishek Sharma’s time to stamp his authority. For a long time, the team looked set without major changes. Yes, you could add Jasprit Bumrah into the mix, but suddenly it wasn’t just him being rotated in.
Shubman Gill, who last played a T20I in July 2024, returned and was made vice-captain of the side. Many expected him to ride on the success he found in England and seamlessly settle into the setup. But the numbers tell a different story. The 25-year-old Shubman Gill has scored just 35 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 145.83. Shubman Gill’s dismissals have highlighted how he has struggled to adapt to the new mantra.
Out of form Shubman Gill attends optional net session before Pakistan match
Amid criticism over poor form, India vice-captain Shubman Gill hit the nets a day ahead of the team’s Super 4 clash in the Asia Cup. Shubman Gill, who was brought into the Indian T20I side after a long break of nearly a year, has had two back-to-back poor outings in the tournament.
Shubman Gill fell to an ugly dismissal against Oman, getting cleaned up by an inswinger from left-arm seamer Faisal Shah. With India set to face Shaheen Shah Afridi in the next match, a bowler with a similar skill set, Shubman Gill opted to train tirelessly even in the optional session.
News agency PTI reported on the development on Saturday, a day ahead of the game, and stated that a total of 12 Indian players decided to rest on Saturday. Shubman Gill was seen practicing against Abhishek Sharma, with the left-arm spinner bowling to him in the nets. In India’s group-stage match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Shubman was dismissed by spinner Saim Ayub while trying to charge him down the ground.
The session saw Shubman Gill struggle in the Dubai nets. Abhishek kept firing in arm balls and bowled flat, denying him room to play straight. Gill tried sweeping but looked completely unconvincing, failing to connect with a single attempt. At one point, Abhishek even walked down the track to suggest trying the inside-out lofted shot over extra cover.
The news agency reported that ace spinner Varun Chakravarthy also attended the nets on Saturday. After sitting out India’s final group game against Oman, Varun hit the nets to bowl at Shubman Gill. Varun’s spell turned out to be a tough challenge for the India vice-captain, as he kept growing desperate against the spinner after not being able to hit him for big shots.
On one occasion, Shubman Gill charged the spinner but ended up missing the ball completely. Shubman looked more at ease once the net pacers took over, lofting straight and flicking a few out of the ground, though even then a left-arm seamer managed to induce a thick outside edge.For all the effort, it wasn’t a convincing session at all. But whatever happened in the training session has nothing to do with Shubman Gill’s calibre as a batter and Former Selector Kris Srikkanth believes that Shubman Gill will come good vs Pakistan.
Kris Srikkanth believes that vice captain Shubman Gill will come good vs Pakistan in Super 4s
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth believes that Shubman Gill will regain his form with the bat in the upcoming clash against Pakistan in Asia Cup on September 21. The India vice-captain has so far not been able to perform well in the tournament, scoring just 35 runs in three matches in the continental tournament. However, Srikkanth feels that the 25-year-old will score runs in the upcoming clash against the Men in Green.
“Shubman Gill coming back to form is very important. I think he’ll score in this match (vs Pak). He’s the Indian Test captain and likely all-format captain in the future. The ball coming in constantly troubles him because he plays early. My suggestion to him would be to play more straight. Instead of cover driving, he should play the off drive more until he gets set,” Kris Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Kris Srikkanth also shared his take on if Gill’s place in India’s T20I set-up is ensured or not and remarked that the fact that the 25-year-old is the vice-captain means that he is likely to get a place in the squad for future assignments in the shortest format.
“The very fact that they’ve given him the vice captain means he’s a certainty. In the expected 15-man squad I had pre-Asia Cup, he wasn’t in my team. Infact, not many people expected him to be in the 15. But since they’ve made him the vice-captain, in the future they are trying to make him the all-format captain. Because he had a good IPL also,” Kris Srikkanth stated.
During IPL 2025, Shubman Gill struck at 155.88—effective if not flashy—while staying aggressive from the start. He complemented his partner Sai Sudharsan, who ended up winning the Orange Cap. Even if Gill wants to remain an accumulator, he needs to attack early in the powerplay. With Abhishek Sharma in blazing form and captain Suryakumar Yadav behind him, he has the cushion to do so.
But he must ensure the scoring rate doesn’t drop. If Shubman Gill wants to be the next king, this could be the sacrifice he has to make. As many believe, he will be India’s future skipper across formats. Yet the kingdom cannot march in one direction while its king goes in another. Otherwise, the walls may fall and the fort may crumble—something India simply cannot afford, just months away from defending their T20 World Cup crown.
Meanwhile, India defeated Oman in their final group stage fixture and topped Group A. The Men in Blue handed their opponents a 21-run defeat to continue their unbeaten run in the competition heading into the Super 4 stage. They will now be facing Pakistan for the second time in the ongoing edition of the continental tournament.
The Men in Blue had emerged victorious in the first meeting of the two teams and had done so in comprehensive fashion. Suryakumar Yadav & Co. had handed Pakistan a one-sided 7-wicket defeat to once again assert their dominance in the rivalry.
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