Legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers has come out strongly in support of struggling batsman Shubman Gill ahead of India’s third T20I against South Africa, which will be played in Dharamshala on Sunday, December 14.
Shubman Gill has made his T20I comeback as vice-captain in the Asia Cup 2025, but he has failed to live up to the hype and expectations. India’s Test and ODI captain is currently facing heavy criticism due to his poor form, as he has not scored a single half-century in his last 16 T20I matches.
AB de Villiers urges Shubman Gill to be patient despite T20I struggle
In the first two matches of the ongoing five-match T20 series, Gill scored only four and zero. Since his return to the T20I team, the right-handed batsman has scored only 263 runs in 14 matches at an average of 23.90. This led fans and former cricketers to question his place in the team, especially as players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson did not get a chance.
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However, AB de Villiers believes that India should not be in a hurry to make changes. The former South African captain believes that Gill brings balance to the batting line-up, which is otherwise full of aggressive batsmen. He believes that the Indian team needs someone who can stabilize the innings and play smart cricket instead of always being aggressive in the shorter format of the game.
AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel, “Shubman failed once or twice, and now suddenly we are talking about replacing him. Be a little patient with him. We need someone like him because you have a lot of aggressive batsmen in that lineup.”
I will not replace Gill: AB de Villiers
De Villiers does not feel that a few failures should cause panic or immediate replacement. However, the former RCB icon suggested that India can adjust the batting order if needed, but he is against the idea of ​​dropping Gill from the T20I squad.
He further added, “Yes, Jaiswal is one of the best; there is room for him, but I wouldn’t keep him for Gill. I would take Gill at three and get Jaiswal to open. But then you have two left-handers, and maybe the bowlers can make do with them.”
This is a headache for Team India, but it is also good. I will not pull the panic button on Shubman. He has character. Mark my words, he will score runs for you in the big matches; He is going to be the person you want. I will not replace Gill.”
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The magic of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continues in ODI, AB de Villiers is in awe!
Meanwhile, AB de Villiers also praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after they played vital roles in India’s recent 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa. On the strength of his brilliant series, Rohit reached number one in the ICC ODI batting rankings, while Kohli moved up to the second position.
The Proteas legend pointed out that both Rohit and Kohli still dominate the game despite not playing much cricket after retiring from Test and T20I cricket. He also lauded their decision to retire from both formats, as both Kohli and Rohit aim to play in the ICC World Cup 2027.
De Villiers said, “Rohit and Virat are at the top – isn’t it wild? They are not playing a lot of cricket these days but are No. 1 and 2 in the world. I’m not a big fan of rankings, but it shows what kind of class India have in the ODI setup. To have these two at the top in a World Cup is phenomenal. I think they have made a good decision to emphasize the ODI format, keeping in mind that the World Cup is around the corner.”
