AB de Villiers trashes ICC Rankings after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli claim Top 2 spots

Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers has come out strongly in support of struggling batter Shubman Gill ahead of India’s third T20I against South Africa, which will be played on Sunday, December 14, in Dharamshala.

Shubman Gill has made his T20I comeback as the vice-captain in the Asia Cup 2025, but he has failed to live up to the hype and expectations. India’s Test and ODI captain is currently facing heavy criticism due to his poor form, as he has not scored a fifty in his last 16 T20I games.

AB de Villiers urges patience with Shubman Gill despite T20I struggles

In the first two matches of the ongoing five-match T20I series, Gill scored just four and zero. Since returning to the T20I side, the right-handed batter has managed only 263 runs in 14 matches at an average of 23.90. This led the fans and former cricketers to question his place in the team, especially with players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson not getting chances.

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However, AB de Villiers feels that India should not rush into making changes. The former South African captain believes that Gill brings balance to the batting order, which is otherwise full of aggressive batters. He felt the Indian team needs someone who can steady the innings and play smart cricket instead of always attacking in the shorter format of the game.

AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel, “Shubman's failed once or twice, and now all of a sudden we talk about replacing him. Be a bit patient with him. We need someone like him because you have so many aggressive batters in that lineup.”

I wouldn't replace Gill: AB de Villiers

De Villiers does not think a few failures should lead to panic or immediate replacement. However, the former RCB icon suggested that India could adjust the batting order if needed, but he is against the idea of dropping Gill from the T20I side.

He further explained, “Yes, Jaiswal is one of the best; there is a place for him, but I would not put him in for Gill. I will move Gill to three and have Jaiswal open. But then you will have two left-handers, and maybe the bowlers can work them over.

It is a headache for Team India, but a good one to have. I wouldn't pull the panic button on Shubman. He's got character. Mark my words, he's going to score you runs in big matches; he's going to be the guy you want. I wouldn't replace Gill.”

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AB de Villiers in awe as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's magic continues in ODIs

Meanwhile, AB de Villiers also praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after they played key roles in India’s recent 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa. On the back of their stunning series, Rohit climbed to number one in the ICC ODI batting rankings, while Kohli moved up to second place.

The Proteas legend pointed out that both Rohit and Kohli are still dominating the game despite not playing much cricket, having retired from Test and T20I cricket. He also hailed their decision to retire from both formats, as both Kohli and Rohit aim to play in the ICC World Cup 2027.

De Villiers signed off by saying, “Rohit and Virat at the top—is that not wild? They are not playing a lot of cricket these days but are No. 1 and 2 in the world. I'm not a big fan of rankings, but it just shows what kind of class India has in that ODI setup. Going into the World Cup, to have these two at the top is phenomenal. I think they've made a good decision to put emphasis on the ODI format, keeping in mind the World Cup is around the corner.”