Gill, Surya's woeful T20I form a cause of worry: Major headaches for India despite Cuttack win

India's major problems heading into T20 WC [Source: AFP Photo]

India were ruthless in their approach in the first T20I against South Africa as the hosts decimated the visitors and inflicted a crushing defeat to take a lead in the 5-match T20I series. Under lights, the Indian bowlers shone as everyone chipped in with wickets and helped the team win the game by a whopping margin of 101 runs.

India used six bowling options against the South African side, and all six of them scalped wickets as the Proteas crumbled while chasing 176. However, despite an emphatic win, the Indian T20I side still has plenty of problems to address. There were quite a few problems which, if not addressed, could derail India’s T20 World Cup campaign.

1) Over dependence on Abhishek Sharma

• With the two key players, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill, struggling in T20Is, Team India has been overly dependent on Abhishek Sharma, and this could come back to haunt India in the long run. Yes, Abhishek has been performing consistently, but he can have rare failures (as we witnessed in the Cuttack T20I), and when he fails, there is no one who steps up in the top order.
• Tilak Varma and Axar Patel got the starts, but they were as slow as a turtle, and this harmed the team until Hardik Pandya stepped in to save the Indian side and helped them post a competitive total.
• If Abhishek gives fiery starts, things automatically become easier for India, but on Tuesday, when he couldn’t get going, the team had no Plan B to execute.

2) SKY-Gill's form a cause of worry

Heading into the T20 World Cup, India’s main cause of worry is the dismal form of Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav. The duo has not lit up the stage and more than Gill, Suryakumar Yadav’s numbers will give India a massive headache.

(Gill and SKY T20I stats in 2025)

• As the stats suggest, Suryakumar Yadav has been a pale shadow of his former self and the numbers tell the story. Just 196 runs with a strike rate of 126 define his T20I journey in 2025. Moreover, 2025 has been the first time that SKY’s strike rate is below the 150 mark.
• The same is true for Shubman Gill. While his strike rate is superior to Suryakumar Yadav's, but the batter has been largely unimpressive and is yet to score a single fifty-plus score this year in T20Is.

3) Too many experiment could cost India in the future

• When India lost three quick wickets against the Proteas, everyone expected Shivam Dube to walk in, but the surprise came as Axar Patel was promoted up the order, and the baffling move failed to deliver the goods.
• He scored a painstaking 21-ball 23 before getting dismissed, and the move made by Gautam Gambhir and the team to do the Axar experiment failed. This Axar Patel move worked in the T20 World Cup final last year, but it won’t do wonders every time, and when the team already has a designated number 5 in Shivam Dube, why send an all-rounder ahead of him?

Final verdict

While the Indian side managed to beat the Proteas in the first T20I, the team had numerous issues to address ahead of the T20 World Cup. With the marquee tournament just a few months away, India need to resolve three major issues as they aim to defend their T20 crown.

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