“He has to perform consistently” - Irfan Pathan sends an ultimatum to Indian T20I vice-captain

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has asserted that the Indian T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill needs to step up the ante and start scoring runs in the shortest format of the game.

Gill could score only five runs off 10 balls before getting out to Josh Hazlewood in the second T20I against Australia in Melbourne. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan stated that Gill replaced Samson, who has an exceptional record as an opening batter.

Interestingly, Gill could score only 169 runs in nine innings at an average of 24.14 since his return to the format at the Asia Cup 2025 campaign, which didn’t go down well with a lot in the Indian cricketing fraternity. 

"Coming to Shubman Gill; look, Shubman replaced Sanju Samson, who had scored three centuries as an opener, to open for India in T20Is. Gill has potential, leadership qualities, and has scored a lot in the IPL. But he has to perform. In the last ten innings, he hasn’t even scored 200 runs in total. So the pressure will build on him. He’s getting opportunities and backing, but he has to convert that into performances, which we haven’t seen yet," Pathan said.

Moreover, Pathan felt that a player like Yashasvi Jaiswal is also in line to emerge as the opener in the Indian team. The former all-rounder went on to state that it’s high time Gill needs to perform consistently, as players are waiting to replace him in the XI.

"You have Yashasvi Jaiswal, a fantastic T20 player. We’ve seen him in the IPL with a strike rate of 160. If he’s sitting out while Gill keeps getting regular chances and doesn’t deliver, then the pressure will be on both him and the team. Gill needs to score consistently. Otherwise, Yashasvil, who’s not playing ODI cricket right now or T20s for India, a player that talented, who can do wonders, even score 200 in ODIs; it’s a problem that such a player is on the bench," he concluded.

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