'Not Fire And Ice': Suryakumar Yadav Addresses The Growing Criticism Around Vice-Captain Shubman Gill's Strike Rate In T20I Cricket

The Indian T20I team is in a peculiar condition as of now. The 'men in blue' led by Suryakumar Yadav might be winning and dominating their oppositions, but their batting order looks uncertain as of now. In the three matches out of the five T20Is, the Indian team management never played the same order. Their number three and four always keep on changing and they will have to decide who their number three and four are before things start going haywire.

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Suryakumar Yadav Defends Shubman Gill

The decision to demote Sanju Samson and bring in Shubman Gill as the opener and the vice-captain of the Indian T20I team hasn't gone down too well with many fans and experts. The Indian T20I vice-captain is often criticized for the manner in which he plays the shortest international format and he is in dire need to change things around him. Gill, who hadn't played T20I cricket for more than a year, was suddenly included in India's set-up before Asia Cup 2025.

Despite southpaw Abhishek Sharma going all guns blazing at one end, Shubman Gill is still trying to play the ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. His innings against Australia in the 4th T20I received a lot of flak. Gill had scored 46 off 39 at a strike rate of 117.95. After the end of the IND vs AUS T20I series, skipper Suryakumar Yadav heaped praise on Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma's opening pair and termed it as 'fire and fire'.

'They both are looking to match each other's strike rates. It's a combination of fire and fire. That is what I am saying. It's not fire and ice. It's fire and fire,' said Suryakumar Yadav after the match.

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Shubman Gill Eyes South Africa Series As Next Big Assignment

Shubman Gill's next big assignment will be to lead India in a two-match Test and three-match ODI series against South Africa. Shubman Gill hasn't quite enjoyed a lot of success while captaining India in the ODIs, but he will look to change things around.