India’s 51-run loss to South Africa in the second T20I has put a big spotlight on the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has given a clear, honest view on where things stand – and why the team is backing both of them strongly.

Coach’s big message: “We are quite far down the road”

Ryan ten Doeschate accepted that from the outside, fans are worried about the lack of runs from Suryakumar and Gill. But he made it clear that inside the dressing room, the management is fully behind them. He said India are “quite far down the road” in their planning, which means Surya and Gill are central to the team’s T20I plans and leadership.

According to him, you do not drop or panic over players of such quality just because of a bad run. Instead, you back them to come good at the right time. He praised Suryakumar’s leadership, saying he has got the team moving in the right direction with good plans and strong buy‑in from the rest of the players. The expectation is simple: Surya will keep attacking at No. 3, the runs will come, and the team trusts him.

Shubman Gill: “Good sign of change in mentality”

Ten Doeschate spoke in detail about Shubman Gill’s struggles in T20Is. This year, Gill has scored 263 runs in 14 innings, averaging under 24, with no fifty and a best of 47. For a player of his class, those numbers are clearly below par. The coach explained why this might be happening.

He said that after Gill took over as Test captain in England and did very well, he started taking a lot of pride and responsibility in his game. That mindset then carried into T20Is and made him “too caring and tight”, instead of playing freely. Towards the back end of the Australia tour, the support staff had conversations with him about letting go a bit, not making it “all about you”, and playing with the freedom he shows in the IPL, where he has piled up 600–800‑run seasons. Ten Doeschate felt he saw “good signs” of this change in mentality.

On the current South Africa series, he defended Gill’s two dismissals. In the first T20I at Cuttack, the pitch was tricky and the team had asked the batters to attack in the powerplay, so he was ready to “let him go” for that innings. In the second T20I at Mullanpur, Gill got a top‑class ball from Lungi Ngidi that seamed away first up – something that can happen when you are a bit short on form. But the staff still firmly believe in his quality and expect him to come good.

Suryakumar’s slump but leadership “fantastic”

Suryakumar Yadav’s numbers in 2025 T20Is make tough reading. He has scored just 201 runs in 17 innings, averaging a little over 14, with no fifty and a best of 47*. For a batter once called “Mr 360”, this is a big drop from his peak.

Yet, ten Doeschate stressed that they look at the full picture, not just this bad patch. He said Surya had a “light bulb” moment in Australia and was batting well coming into the South Africa series. As a No. 3, the coaching staff want him to keep attacking and scoring quickly, not go into a shell because of low scores. They believe his class will show sooner rather than later.

Most importantly, he praised Surya’s captaincy – calling his leadership “fantastic”. In his view, Suryakumar is driving the team in the right direction with clear plans, good communication, and convincing other players to buy into the approach. The runs are missing, but the team believes they will arrive, and when they do, India will have both performance and strong leadership in one package.

What went wrong in the 2nd T20I vs South Africa

In the second T20I, India chose to bowl first but were punished by South Africa’s batting. Quinton de Kock smashed 90 off 46 balls, while Tristan Stubbs/Ferreira and David Miller provided a brutal finish, taking the total to 213/4 in 20 overs. Varun Chakravarthy bowled well with 2/29, but Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh had off days at the death.

In reply, India’s top order collapsed to 32/3 after early wickets of Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Suryakumar. Tilak Varma played a brave hand with 62 off 33 balls, and there were small contributions from Hardik Pandya and Jitesh Sharma, but the chase was always behind the rate. Ottneil Baartman’s 4/24 finished India off for 162, handing South Africa a 51‑run win and levelling the series 1‑1.

India’s plan: trust the process, back the core

The main message from Ryan ten Doeschate is that India are not going to chop and change their core just because of one bad month or one bad series. Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav are central to the T20I setup – as leaders and as batters. The coaches want Gill to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, without letting captaincy pressure tighten him up. They want Surya to keep playing his natural attacking game, trusting that the form will follow.

In simple words, India know there is a problem with runs at the top, but they also believe they already have the right men for the job. The job now is to help them clear their minds, not replace them.