Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended Shubman Gill’s approach in T20 cricket. The veteran feels the 25-year-old deserves to play for the Men in Blue in the Asia Cup 2025. His last T20I match was in 2024, when he was appointed the team’s vice-captain. However, due to workload management and competition, the right-handed batter hasn’t been considered for a long time.
Several experts do not favour Gill getting a nod for the Asia Cup as they feel his game doesn’t suit the demands of the shortest format. However, Harbhajan has dismissed all the theories. “T20 cricket is not always about big hitting. If Shubman Gill decides to play attacking shots, he can match anyone. He is a solid batter with strong basics, and it is not easy to win the Orange Cap in the Indian Premier League. He has scored runs in every season. It is not that his strike rate is around 120 or 130, and he can also bat at a strike rate of 160,” Bhajji told TOI.
Bhajji is confident of Gill’s success in T20 cricket. “We have players like Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, but you can’t write off Shubman Gill. He can play any format and is an all-format player. I think he can dominate T20 matches. I know fans want to see fours and sixes, but you need batters who can play long innings,” he added.
Gill has been a part of 21 T20Is and amassed 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 139.27, with the help of one century and three fifties.
In IPL 2025, he accumulated 650 runs from 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87, laced with six fifties.
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