"I was expecting a little more consistency in Shubman Gill's batting" - Saba Karim on the takeaways for India from T20I series vs Zimbabwe

Saba Karim reckons Shubman Gill should have been more consistent as a batter in the T20I series between India and Zimbabwe. However, the former India wicketkeeper-batter praised the youngster's captaincy in the Men in Blue's 4-1 series win.

With 170 runs at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 125.92 in five innings, Gill was the highest run-scorer in the series. Although the opener scored half-centuries in the third and fourth T20Is and played a 31-run knock in the series opener, he was dismissed cheaply in the other two games.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Saba Karim was asked about India's takeaways from the series. As for Gill, he said:

"Shubman Gill as a captain and a batter. I was expecting a little more consistency in Shubman Gill's batting. That was a little lacking. However, he performed fantastically as a captain. Pressure mounts on any captain after losing the first match, and that too a young captain."

The former India selector praised Yashasvi Jaiswal for being among the runs despite not getting time in the middle in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

"However, despite that, he got his players to rally splendidly. Jaiswal scoring runs. He didn't get a chance in the World Cup. When you haven't batted for a long time and haven't played matches, it's not easy to show form as soon as you come. However, we saw that," Saba Karim elaborated.

Jaiswal smashed 141 runs at an average of 70.50 and a strike rate of 165.88 in three innings. He smoked an unbeaten 93 off 53 deliveries in India's 10-wicket win in the fourth T20I.

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"It's not easy to come back and score a century after getting out for zero in the first match" - Saba Karim on Abhishek Sharma

Saba Karim lauded Abhishek Sharma for scoring a century in the second T20I and Shivam Dube for showcasing his abilities with the ball.

"Abhishek Sharma scored a century at the top of the order. It's not easy to come back and score a century after getting out for zero in the first match. Shivam Dube proved himself as a bowler in this series," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also appreciated Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed for their performances with the ball.

"Mukesh Kumar bowled well. Khaleel Ahmed was making a comeback after five years. It was a very important series for him and he bowled well in every match and picked up wickets with the new ball, and along with that, the control he showed in the end overs. He bowled cutters and did steady bowling with the right line and length," Saba Karim explained.

With eight scalps at an economy rate of 7.37 in three games, Mukesh was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the series alongside Washington Sundar. Khaleel picked up three wickets in as many games and conceded an average of 6.81 runs per over.