“Virat Kohli was averaging 15 batting first” - Irfan Pathan opens up on Shubman Gill captaining India in all three formats

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has given his opinion on Shubman Gill leading Team India across formats. Notably, Gill has been elevated as the new vice-captain of the Indian T20I team for the Asia Cup 2025 campaign. 

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announcing their Test retirement ahead of the England tour, Shubman Gill was elevated as the new Test captain of the Indian team as they levelled the series 2-2 against England in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

When Pathan was asked whether Gill would go through a lean period like Virat Kohli did while playing all three formats, he was quick to state that it would be too early to comment on that conversation.

"Virat Kohli is a great player. He has been a match-winner. But he was averaging 15 batting first. And there are certain things that were not going his way. But it is not like he is not a good player if he did not perform at that time. He has won games for India for years. Tomorrow, if Shubman does not perform, if his average is also 15 for an entire year, and he is still with the team, then we will talk. For now, he was the vice-captain before as well, but no one questioned that when he went out. Now he is back, which was his place," he said during an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

Notably, Gill last played T20Is against Sri Lanka in July 2024. However, in the recently concluded IPL 2025 season, he displayed dominance with the willow in the powerplay overs, showcasing his excellent batting skills.

"I think Shubman Gill has improved his T20 cricket a lot. What we have seen this season, the way he played, the amount of runs he scored, and few seasons in the IPL as well. There was a time I remember when he started, when he played for KKR, I vaguely remember his strike-rate was about 125ish. And then suddenly he jumped to 150. Last year's IPL was 150 plus and he was consistently scoring runs as well," he added.

"Now the Indian team has gone to a higher strike-rate, they want to be very aggressive. So I don't think there should be an issue for Shubman Gill to start playing an aggressive role and do what the team demands of him," he concluded.

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