Things just got interesting! After Yashasvi Jaiswal took away his T20I spot in the Indian cricket team, Shubman Gill has roared back into contention for the T20 World Cup 2024. The Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper scored an imperious 89 off 48 balls in the GT vs PBKS match and reminded everyone why he should be on the plane to the West Indies and the USA in June.
Following the meteoric rise of Yashasvi Jaiswal, everyone seemed to forget about Gill and his exemplary skills. The opener scored the highest individual score of the IPL 2024 season and put his name in the reckoning, with Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli all fighting for the two opening spots.
Will Shubman Gill be India’s 2nd opener?
With Rohit Sharma leading the side against Afghanistan in January earlier this year, one can assume that he’ll lead the side in the T20 World Cup 2024 as well. Therefore, his spot as the designated opener is fixed. Now, the other spot will either go to Gill, Jaiswal, or Kohli.
Having found success in T20Is at number 3, we might see Kohli go back to the position for the big event. That means Gill will have to fight with Jaiswal for the spot. Although Gill strikes at a rapid pace, he’s lacking behind Jaiswal in both average and strike rate.
The southpaw also has more fifties and gets past the 50-run mark in every fifth inning, compared to Gill’s seven. Another disadvantage for Gill is his being right-handed. With Rohit’s spot fixed, Jaiswal’s inclusion gives the team a left-right combination.
Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yashasvi Jaiswal | 16 | 502 | 33.46 | 161.93 | 1 | 4 |
Shubman Gill | 14 | 335 | 25.76 | 147.57 | 1 | 1 |
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How Gill can pip Jaiswal
However, all this could change if Gill has another huge season. Last year, he was the orange cap holder. He scored 890 runs at 59.33 and struck at 157.8 with 3 tons and 4 fifties to his name in 17 matches. Jaiswal too scored 625 runs, but if Gill can replicate his last year’s success, he may pip the southpaw and find himself batting alongside Rohit once again.