‘This is a guy who is a T20 batsman’: After Ireland debacle, Sanjay Manjrekar backs Shubman Gill’s comeback

India suffered a shock 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland, the first time they have lost a bilateral T20I series against an Irish side. After dominating the IPL on batting-friendly surfaces, India’s young batting unit struggled to adjust to the seamer-friendly conditions in Ireland as they were outplayed by the hosts in both matches. The result also marked another series defeat for Gautam Gambhir in his tenure as head coach.Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes the defeat revealed a flaw in the composition of the Indian team rather than just their execution. Arguing that India have become too dependent on batting all-rounders and are now in dire need of specialist middle-order batsmen, he also states why Shubman Gill should make a comeback in the T20I setup. Referring to X, Manjrekar wrote: “It was too little earlier…too much for Gambhir. ‘All-rounder’. India need CLEAN middle-order batter, fast!”

Manjrekar wants Gill back in T20Is

During the broadcaster’s post-match discussion, Manjrekar further explained that Indian batsmen need to develop technique to succeed on pitches that offer assistance to the bowlers, instead of relying solely on the flat batting tracks they are used to at home and in the IPL. He cited Shubman Gill as an ideal example of a batter capable of thriving in such conditions and backed the Indian ODI captain to eventually return to the T20I setup.“Shubman Gill… just for people to understand, this is a guy who is a T20 batsman now and has had a tremendous IPL as well. I’m not talking about captaincy, but these are the players you want to slowly bring back into T20 cricket because they have a bit more depth in conditions like these and they’re also used to it, as we saw when he played in England and overseas,” Manjrekar said.“That’s the way forward for Shubman Gill. It won’t happen immediately but I think you will slowly start seeing him in India’s T20 plans,” he added.India will have an opportunity to bounce back quickly when they open their five-match T20I series against England on July 1, with the team looking to put a disappointing tour of Ireland behind them.MatchDateVenueTime (IST) 1st T20I. July 2026Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street10:00 PM2. T20I. 4 July 2026Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester 7:00 PM3. T20I. July: 026. Trent Bridge T20IJuly 9, 2026Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol10:00 PM5th T20IJuly 11, 2026The Rose Bowl, Southampton7:00 PM1st ODIJer 14, 2026Edgbaston, Birmingham3:30 PM21 PM ODISo Cardiff 17:30 3. OD July 19, 2026 Lord’s, London 3:30 p.m