New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS) Former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan has expressed optimism over Shubman Gill coming good in the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, saying he hopes the opener delivers strong performances which in turn will cement his place in the side ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Gill was out of action after suffering a neck injury during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata. Since his return to the T20I team from the Asia Cup, Gill has been inconsistent with his scores while opening the batting alongside the in-form Abhishek Sharma.

“Shubman Gill should cement his place at the top of the order in T20 cricket. We believe in all-format players. We have seen how well he plays in the IPL. Now, he has a chance to cement his place in India’s T20 International side. There is a little pressure, but he is a good player.”

“I hope he performs well in this five-match T20I series against South Africa. He is coming back from a small injury. He will get a lot of opportunities across five matches on good pitches. The pitches will have pace and bounce, like in Dharamshala, and he will love batting on them,” said Pathan on JioStar.

He also said his eyes in the five-match series will be on who would take up the mantle of finishing the innings alongside a returning Hardik Pandya. “I would like to see who plays the role of a finisher with Hardik Pandya and how they do it. This is a very big aspect. If we have to defend the World Cup, which is in India, it is crucial that our lower-middle order batters stay in form.”

“Along with Hardik, the other batters become very important. Axar Patel can do that, Jitesh Sharma is there, Rinku Singh can also come in. But we have to see who will complement Hardik down the order. My eyes will be on that.”

Pathan signed off by saying how India’s fast bowling combination fares will be of utmost importance against the Proteas. “I want to see how the other fast bowlers perform along with Bumrah. Bumrah is the main bowler, but we also have Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube can bowl a bit, and Arshdeep Singh as well.”

“How they perform in this series against South Africa will be very important. With the T20 World Cup scheduled for February next year, this series is really important from a bowling point of view.”

–IANS

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