'Doesn't have to follow Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson' - Irfan Pathan after Shubman Gill's forgettable outing in Cuttack T20I

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has urged Shubman Gill to play according to his natural style and not experiment too much with his batting after the latter's performance in Cuttack on December 9. Gill, who was returning after a brief gap due to an injury, was dismissed for a two-ball four in the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa.

Irfan pointed out the nature of Gill's dismissal and how uncharacteristic it was of India's T20I vice-captain to be dismissed while trying to step out against a fast bowler. The erstwhile all-rounder advised Gill to not chase the manner in which Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson play at the top of the order.

"The big question is how to define Shubman Gill’s role. The way Abhishek Sharma plays, Gill might think of performing that way. He hit a four in the very first ball and then stepped out after that. It was only the first over and that’s not his game. In T20Is, Gill has never been dismissed stepping out to a pacer. It was the first time it happened. It shows his mindset. It’s simple. He doesn’t have to follow either Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma. He has to be the Shubman Gill which we all know," stated Irfan in a video on his YouTube channel.

Irfan highlighted how Gill is now an experienced campaigner and should have faith in his own abilities while coming out to bat in the middle. He issued a gentle warning to Gill regarding consistency if the opening batter keeps on deviating from his own method of batting.

"Just that, he shouldn’t try to be a different mould. He is an established player and India’s captain. The way I see it, he is trying too much to step out and be aggressive or he is trying to play attacking cricket like Sanju Samson, who is currently benched. Instead, he must stick to his own strengths and try to score runs from there. So far, Gill has scored runs according to his game. If he does anything else, it will be difficult as his consistency will be impacted," he added.

Gill had been sidelined from the national setup after suffering a nerve-related injury during the first Test of the two-match series against the Proteas. He was out for the second Test as well as the 50-over segment and recovered well during the hiatus.

India emerged victorious by 101 runs in a contest which was headlined by another returning superstar, Hardik Pandya. Hardik secured the Player of the Match award for his all-round outing (59* off 28 and 1/16 in 2 overs).