'You cannot ask them...' - Irfan Pathan chooses between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill ahead of Tests vs Australia

IND vs AUS, 2023: 'You cannot ask them...' - Irfan Pathan chooses between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill ahead of Tests vs Australia (Image Source: Twitter)

Shubman Gill, the right-handed batter, proved his prowess during the T20I series vs New Zealand and went on to score his first-ever T20I ton in the third game of the series played on Wednesday. On the other hand, KL Rahul, the talented opener, was rested due to personal commitments as he tied the knot with his fiance Athiya Shetty. 

Irfan Pathan, the former allrounder, opened up on the same and clarified if Gill should open ahead of Rahul in the longest format of the game. Further, Pathan claimed that just because Gill has got the runs under his belt, the likes of Rohit Sharma and Rahul cannot be asked to step aside and make way for the Indian youngster. 

“Not in all three formats but in two formats. If you talk about Test matches, you have two openers who have scored runs in difficult conditions, scored runs in England and won matches for India there. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are there, so suddenly because Shubman Gill has scored runs in the T20 format, you cannot ask them to step aside and let him play. You need the stability,” Pathan was quoted as saying to Star Sports. 

You will see him there: Irfan Pathan

Further, Pathan claimed that it would be pivotal to have Gill in the shortest format of the game as well if the youngster manages to carry on with the form in the T20Is. Notably, despite facing criticism, Gill went on to accelerate the innings in style, eventually scoring an unbeaten 126 on Wednesday against the Black Caps, breaking Virat Kohli’s record to bag the highest individual score in T20Is. 

“I feel he has sealed his spot in T20 cricket after this century. He has done that in ODI cricket in any case. If it continues like this, you will see Shubman Gill alongside Rohit Sharma in the World Cup, there is no doubt about that. Now with the confidence he will get in T20 cricket, you can assume that his place is almost assured because a transition period is going on there after the T20 World Cup. So you will see him there,” Pathan added.