Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has come to the defense of Shubman Gill after the India vice-captain suffered another failure in the second T20I in Melbourne. De Villiers said Gill may not be used to the bounce in Australian conditions and added that even top players can go through weak phases.
Gill scored only five runs from 10 balls in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, October 31. He recorded scores of 10, 9 and 24 in the ODI series against Australia. Notably, the opening batsman scored an unbeaten 37 off just 20 balls in a washed out opener in Canberra.
Maybe he is not used to bounce – AB de Villiers on Shubman Gill
Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers admitted that Shubman Gill is going through a bad phase. He said Gill would still be adjusting to the extra bounce in Australian conditions, adding that he may not perform well every time.
De Villiers said, “Australia have good wickets. Maybe he is not completely used to this kind of bounce. There has to be something, or he is just human… We expect Shubman to score runs every day.”
Shubman Gill scored only 169 runs in nine matches at an average of 24.14 and an impressive strike rate of 148.25. He returned to the T20I squad during the 2025 Asia Cup, where he scored just 127 runs in seven innings at an average of 21.17 without a single half-century.
Shubman Gill is going through a bad phase – AB de Villiers
The 41-year-old said Gill will make a comeback after the clash in Australia. He said that the matter is likely to be psychological rather than technical. De Villiers said that if there is a technical flaw, Gill has the discipline to overcome it in the nets.
“So, maybe Shubman Gill is going through something like this, and he will work on it, guys. He is a class player, class leader, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will come back. I think it is more a mental thing than a technical one.”
“If it is a technicality, he will go to the nets and sort it out. I don’t see any reaction. Yes, the performances are not in the recent and short-term past, but there is a lot of cricket ahead. There is a lot to look forward to, and being fresh depends on him.”
India lost to Australia in the second T20 match in Melbourne.
Australia defeated India by four wickets in Melbourne. India faced defeat in the powerplay itself and could score only 125 runs. Abhishek Sharma scored 68 runs off 37 runs, while Harshit Rana added 35 runs. Josh Hazlewood took 3 wickets for 13 runs.
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head made a partnership of 51 runs for the first wicket. Marsh scored 46 runs in 26 balls and the hosts completed the chase in just 13.2 overs. Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets each.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side is now trailing 1-0 in the five-match series. To keep the series alive they will have to win the third T20I in Hobart on Sunday, November 2.
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