Rumored Girlfriend? Shubman Gill Fails on Australian Soil Once Again, This Time in Front of Sara Tendulkar at Hobart

Shubman Gill also had a poor ODI series against Australia, recording scores of 10, 9, and 24, during India's disappointing 1-2 series loss.

Rumored Girlfriend? Shubman Gill Fails on Australian Soil Once Again, This Time in Front of Sara Tendulkar at Hobart

Shubman Gill's rumored girlfriend Sara Tendulkar was in the stands, during the third T20I against Australia. (via InsideSport)

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Indian T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill, struggling with poor form in the ongoing white-ball series against Australia, flopped once again in the third T20I. However, what caught fans’ attention and set social media on fire was the presence of his rumored girlfriend, Sara Tendulkar in the stands.

2025 has been Shubman Gill’s year, with the young batter having emerged as the face of Indian cricket for years to come. He was appointed as India’s new Test captain earlier this year, following Rohit Sharma’s retirement. The Punjab-born batter had a great run in his first red-ball assignment as captain, guiding India to a hard-fought 2-2 draw in a five Test series against England, where he also scored 754 runs. 

At the end of a successful tour to England, Gill was then appointed as India’s T20I vice-captain before the start of the 2025 Asia Cup, followed the ODI captaincy, ahead of the Australia tour. While in great red-ball form, he had struggled to score runs in both ODIs and T20Is, starting with an underwhelming Asia Cup campaign, where he only hit 127 runs in seven matches at an average of just 21.83.

In the three T20Is against Australia so far, Gill has managed only 57 runs at an average of 28.50. Despite the poor run, he opened the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma in the third T20I in Hobart, with the Men in Blue requiring 187 runs in the second innings to level the series.

The 26-year-old looked in good touch, after he hit Nathan Ellis for a boundary in the fifth over, flicking the ball over mid-wicket. Soon after, the cameras turned towards Sara Tendulkar, who was enjoying the match with a friend.

Unconfirmed rumors about a relationship between Sara and Shubman Gill have been in the headlines, and her presence at the Bellerive Oval added fuel to the speculation. However, Gill’s stay on the pitch was not long enough, as he got dismissed off the very next ball, trapped LBW by Ellis. Sara was watching curiously as Gill opted for a review, which was of no avail, as he walked off for just 15 runs off 12 balls. 

It remains unclear whether Sara Tendulkar had attended the match on Gill’s request, or else. In fact, Sara, who is Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar’s daughter, is an ambassador for Australian tourism, making her presence unsurprising.

Former India opener questions Shubman Gill’s T20I vice-captaincy, demands answers

Former Indian opener K. Srikkanth slammed Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selectors, questioning the rationale behind Shubman Gill’s appointment as T20I vice-captain. Srikkanth’s comments come at the back of a dismal run for the 25-year-old, in the shortest format of the game. 

K. Srikkanth on Shubman Gill
K. Srikkanth questioned the basis for Shubman Gill’s T20I captaincy. (via NDTV Sports)

Gill made his return to the Indian T20I setup after a year-long absence, and was immediately slotted into the team to replace Sanju Samson as opener. He was also appointed vice-captain of the side. Samson was moved down the order, despite him having scored over 300 runs in 2024. Gill, on the other hand, has given minimal returns, scoring 184 runs in ten innings since then, at an average well below 25. 

K. Srikkanth, speaking on his YouTube channel, slammed selectors and the team management’s decision to appoint Gill as vice-captain, despite his poor T20I form. He further predicted the young batter to be appointed captain of the team in the future, a reason he suggested why the management would not drop him from the XI. Srikkanth also stated that Gill’s spot has kept Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the team.

They won’t drop [Shubman] Gill… It’s 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?

Jasiwal has not played for the Indian T20I side since July last year, when he featured in a match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. The 23-year-old boasts a rather impressive record in T20Is, with 723 runs in 23 innings at an average of 36.15, including five half-centuries and a hundred.

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