Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill faced a combined 13 balls in 1st T20I
Suryakumar Yadav has an average of 15 in T20Is in 2025
Gill has been placed above Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson despite inferior performances
Despite his worrying form in the format, Shubman Gill is likely to play in the second India vs South Africa T20I match at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, today (December 11, 2025). Tonight's match will mark his first game before a home crowd since being appointed as Test and ODI captain.
Despite leading the five-match series 1-0, India are acutely aware of the fact that both captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Gill are struggling for runs. The leadership duo lasted a combined 13 balls in the Cuttack opener as the Proteas dominated the hosts before Hardik Pandya's blistering knock changed the course of the match.
Defending 175/6, India eventually dismissed South Africa for 74 runs in 12 and a half overs for a 101-run win. Such a massive win, however, has failed to mask the lingering Gill question, and also the skipper's 'absence' while setting a total or chasing a target.
The Gill question, especially, many would claim, is double-edged. The Test and ODI captain is also being groomed as the all-format captain, making his selection automatic, but at what cost? The format demands batting explosiveness, and Gill's poor run is only adding fuel to the Indian team selection debate, its merits or the lack thereof.
Thanks to a robust domestic structure and the Indian Premier League, a conveyor belt of epic proportions, cricketing talent in the country is never in short supply. Consider this: Every player in India's 15-member squad for this series picks themselves, but the playing XI can afford only 11 of them.
Then there are the unfortunate ones, like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, etc., whose names were discussed in selection meetings but failed to get the tick. Also, spare a thought for Sanju Samson, in the squad but losing out to both Gill and fellow wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma. It's an abandonment of richness, to say the least.
In the case of Yadav, the team's win rate and the continuity factor [read: ICC T20 World Cup 2026] have so far worked as a shield. And another series win against South Africa, whom they defeated in the previous World Cup final, would give the 35-year-old batter known as SKY, just the perfect impetus, not that there's any lack of motivation. Of course, a captain is as good as his or her team.
Considering India's demolition act at Barabati Stadium, the think tank led by head coach Gautam Gambhir would most likely field the same XI at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, a venue making its debut in men's T20I cricket.
The Proteas, after their lowest score in T20 cricket in the first match, would like to shore up their batting, a line-up already stacked with some of the finest hitters in the sport. That said, it's more about execution, rather than combination.
"We will have short discussions," skipper Aiden Markram said on the eve of the match. However, Corbin Bosch or even George Linde could be a good option if they want to replace Lutho Sipamla.
India Vs South Africa, 2nd T20I: Likely Playing XIs
India Predicted Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa Predicted Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovon Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch or George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, and Anrich Nortje.
