Abhishek backs Shubman Gill to deliver performances at upcoming T20 World Cup
DHARAMSALA
Having shared dressing rooms and dreams since their early teens, Abhishek Sharma has thrown his weight firmly behind close friend Shubman Gill, insisting the vice-captain will soon start winning T20I matches for India, including at the World T20 next year.
Gill’s place in the Indian T20I XI has come under scrutiny following a modest run of form. The right-hander has scored 291 runs in 15 innings at a strike-rate of 137.3, with just four sixes, while a settled Sanju Samson has often found himself sidelined. In the third T20I against South Africa here on Sunday, Gill made a run-a-ball 28 in a chase of 118, after Abhishek’s explosive 35 off 18 balls set the tone.
Asked about Gill and skipper Suryakumar Yadav enduring a lean patch in the ongoing five-match series, Abhishek was unequivocal. “Trust me, these two guys are going to win matches in the World Cup and in this series as well,” he said, with India currently leading 2-1.
On Gill, Abhishek was especially protective. “I’ve been playing with Shubman for so long. I know which match he can win, in which conditions, irrespective of the opposition,” he said. “I have a lot of faith in him, and I hope everyone will have faith very soon.”
Abhishek explained that after his dismissal with the team on 60, the plan was simply to bat time. With help for pacers on a cold December evening in Dharamshala, caution was key. “The ball was swinging and seaming a bit, so we just needed to knock it around and finish the game,” he said.
For Abhishek, patience with Gill is essential. “It’s only a matter of time,” he insisted, confident that belief will soon be rewarded on the biggest stage.
