Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has backed Shubman Gill to play with freedom ahead of the fourth T20I against Australia. Gill could only manage 43 runs in three ODIs against Australia. The Indian opener has returned with scores of 37, 5, and 15 in the first three T20Is against the hosts and thus has failed to deliver consistently.

The Indian vice-captain has not been up to the mark and there is no doubt that pressure is building on him with batters like Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings. 

“You will be able to get things going your way if you play with freedom. You need to open up and play freely. If you think too much about the way you want to pace an innings, build an innings, sometimes you will miss the flow. I think things will get easier if you trust your natural instincts. I would say the same to Shubman Gill,” Zaheer Khan told Cricbuzz.

The former seamer said Gill should keep things simple and backed the batter to get a big score sooner than later.

“He should stop overcomplicating things. He has got great timing and touch, so I think he will get a big one soon.”

On the other hand, former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth had earlier questioned the selectors for giving the vice-captaincy role to Shubman Gill.

“They won’t drop Gill for the next three games. They are not worried about anything else. He is the vice-captain for the T20 World Cup, that’s fixed now. It’s also fixed that he’s the future T20I captain. So they have to play with him and build the balance for the rest of the side. He’s a certainty, or else on what basis has he been appointed the vice-captain?” Srikkanth said on his YouTube show after the second T20I.

The fourth T20I between India and Australia will be played on Thursday at the Bill Pippen Oval, Gold Coast.