Indian skipper Shubman Gill, preparing to lead India in the second ODI of the ongoing series against Australia at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23, encountered an unexpected moment off the field. While taking a stroll through Adelaide streets with teammate Harshit Rana, Gill greeted a fan who, after shaking hands, shouted “Pakistan Zindabad”, leaving the Indian captain visibly surprised. A clip of the interaction has since gone viral on social media.
Gill was left stunned after an unexpected fan encounter in Adelaide
The incident comes amid tense India-Pakistan relations, especially following the Pahalgam terror attacks in May 2025. Despite the fanfare, Gill remained composed and continued his walk, maintaining focus on the upcoming clash.
“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇-𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒖𝒔,” 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
India Faces Must-Win Scenario Against Australia
On the field, Gill’s form has been under scrutiny. In the recent three-match series against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, he managed scores of 10, 47, and 12, falling short of a half-century in all games, though India won the series 3-0. In the first ODI against Australia at Perth on October 19, Gill was dismissed for 10 runs from 18 balls. In Adelaide, he again struggled, scoring only nine before falling to Xavier Bartlett.
Veteran Virat Kohli has also struggled, recording consecutive ducks, while Rohit Sharma impressed with a fluent 73 from 97 balls, his 59th ODI half-century. Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer contributed with his 23rd ODI fifty, praising the energetic Adelaide crowd.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒔𝒎,” 𝑰𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
With India needing a win to stay in contention in the three-match series, all eyes will be on Gill and the top order to deliver a strong performance in the second ODI.
Also Read: Babar Azam Returns to Pakistan T20I Squad, Haris Rauf Left Out
