India's Assistant Coach Ryan ten Doeschate expressed unwavering confidence in Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Vice-captain Shubman Gill despite their prolonged lean patches in T20Is, following the hosts' 51-run defeat to South Africa in the second match of the five-game series on Thursday, December 11, 2025. South Africa posted 213/4, propelled by Quinton de Kock's explosive 90 off 46 balls (5x4, 7x6), with Donovan Ferreira (30* off 16) and David Miller (20* off 12) adding late fireworks in a 53-run stand. India, opting to bowl first amid dew concerns, restricted the visitors after a strong start but leaked 22 extras, including 16 wides from Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah's rare off-day (0/45). Varun Chakravarthy shone with 2/29.
In the chase, India collapsed to 32/3 inside the powerplay, with Gill out for a golden duck to Lungi Ngidi—edging to slip—and Yadav falling for 5 off Marco Jansen after a reviewed caught-behind. Tilak Varma's gritty 62 off 33 (2x4, 5x6) offered resistance, supported briefly by Jitesh Sharma (27 off 17) and Hardik Pandya (20 off 23), but Ottneil Baartman's 4/24 triggered a lower-order implosion, bundling India out for 162 in 19.1 overs. The loss levelled the series 1-1 after India's 101-run rout in Cuttack, amplifying scrutiny on the top order amid Gambhir's flexible batting tactics.
Ten Doeschate, addressing concerns in the post-match presser, highlighted positive mental shifts in Gill during the Australia tour's latter stages. "I saw some good signs of a change in mentality on the back end of that Australian tour (in Shubman)... We want him to play as freely as he does during the IPL," he said, noting Gill's IPL 2025 haul of 650 runs. For Yadav, he added, "We are quite far down the road in terms of our planning... I have absolute faith in them coming good at the right time." Gill's 2025 T20I stats read 263 runs in 14 innings at a 23.90 average and a 142+ strike rate (best: 47), while Yadav managed 201 in 17 at 14.35 (126 SR, best: 47*), a stark contrast to their IPL dominance.
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Yadav echoed the sentiment post-match, admitting, "I and Shubman could've given a good start... Can't rely on Abhishek [Sharma] every time." Ten Doeschate attributed Gill's tightness to added leadership burdens from captaining Tests in England, urging a freer approach. Social media buzzed with calls for Sanju Samson or Yashasvi Jaiswal, questioning persistence with the duo ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
With the third T20I in Dharamsala on December 14, India faces pressure to recalibrate. Ten Doeschate emphasised backing "quality players and leaders", viewing the slump in isolation amid strong planning. The series, bridging to New Zealand Tests in January, tests Gambhir's blueprint—flexible lineups versus stability—as South Africa's Aiden Markram eyes a lead.
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