India keep winning T20I games this year through effective bowling spells and fearless hitting at the top, and that run continues in the ongoing series against South Africa, where the hosts hold a 2–1 lead even though the captain and vice-captain have offered very little with the bat. Still, after the third T20I, Abhishek Sharma shut out the chatter and spoke with confidence about the two players under the strongest glare right now.
Even though Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill have yet to truly get going with the bat in T20Is this year, Abhishek made it clear that he sees this spell as a temporary dip rather than something more serious, and he asked everyone to stay patient as bigger games come closer. He leaned on shared time rather than empty belief, because he has played alongside both for years and trusts that long history more than a brief run of low scores.
Abhishek Sharma has faith in Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill
Abhishek spoke about Gill in particular with clear faith, since their years together in age-group cricket built that trust early, and he feels Gill reads conditions better than most and knows when to take charge of an innings. He stressed that Gill has shown this control across formats and against every kind of opposition, which explains why a quiet run in T20Is does not bother him as much as it bothers people watching from the outside.
Abhishek said: “I’m telling you (media) straight away, trust me that these two guys (Surya and Gill) are going to win us matches in the T20 World Cup and in series before that. I have been playing with them for so long, especially Shubman. So, I know which match he (Gill) can win, which conditions, irrespective of the team, whoever it is. So, I have a lot of trust in him from the beginning, and I hope everyone will see it very soon, and everyone will trust him."
Still, the numbers tell an awkward story. Suryakumar’s year raises real concern, because 201 runs from 17 innings at a low average and modest strike rate leave little room for comfort, especially for a captain heading into a home T20 World Cup. Although he still finds gaps and does not look completely lost, teams now bowl with clear plans, and constant changes to his batting slot have made it harder for him to settle into a rhythm.
Gill’s figures look slightly better but still fall short of what India expect from a player picked for reliability, since 291 runs from 15 innings with repeated low scores point to missed chances rather than total failures. Injury recovery and a heavy workload explain part of that drop, but consistency still feels out of reach.
Even so, Abhishek’s message is direct because he believes bad form passes, belief stays, and top players usually answer questions when the pressure really counts.
