New Delhi [India], December 8 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan spoke about the return of Shubman Gill in the Indian team ahead of the five-match T20I leg between India and South Africa starting from December 9 and believes Gill should cement his place at the top of the order in T20 cricket.

Following a dominant 2-1 ODI series win, the action now shifts to the five-match T20I leg as India lock horns with South Africa, with the road to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup India and Sri Lanka 2026 picking up momentum.

Gill is set to feature in the T20 squad after he was ruled out of the second Test and from the three-match ODI series against South Africa due to neck spasms. He suffered the injury during the opening Test against South Africa in Kolkata.

The 26-year-old was later hospitalised as a precautionary measure before being discharged. Gill then completed his rehab at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) and was declared fit for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa.

'Shubman Gill should cement his place at the top of the order in T20 cricket. We believe in all-format players. We have seen how well he plays in the IPL. Now, he has a chance to cement his place in India's T20 International side. There is a little pressure, but he is a good player. I hope he performs well in this five-match T20I series against South Africa. He is coming back from a small injury. He will get a lot of opportunities across five matches on good pitches. The pitches will have pace and bounce, like in Dharamshala, and he will love batting on them,' Pathan said on JioStar.

Pathan also highlighted India's need for a strong finisher to partner Hardik Pandya, crucial for their World Cup defence at home. He believes Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, and Rinku Singh as potential candidates to complement Pandya in the lower-middle order.

'I would like to see who plays the role of a finisher with Hardik Pandya, and how they do it. This is a very big aspect. If we have to defend the World Cup, which is in India, it is crucial that our lower-middle order batters stay in form. Along with Hardik, the other batters become very important. Axar Patel can do that, Jitesh Sharma is there, and Rinku Singh can also come in. But we have to see who will complement Hardik down the order. My eyes will be on that,' Pathan concluded. The Men in Blue will play the first T20I of the five-game series against the Proteas on Tuesday in Cuttack. Mullanpur will host the second T20I between India and South Africa on December 11.

The third T20I will be played at Dharamsala on December 14, followed by the fourth on December 17 in Lucknow. Ahmedabad will host the fifth and final match of the series on December 19. (ANI)