(Image Credit: Shubman Gill via X)
Shubman Gill has been touted as one of the most talented young cricketing characters in India, but it begs many serious questions when he has been converted into an ordinary T20I opener, especially when prismed through the prism of his performance at the Asia Cup 2025. His experience of success in Tests and ODIs and even being named as the vice captain of the team but a poor performance when returning to the T20 format has not been a good showing. In the Super Four stage, he had a total of only 115 runs in six innings and only 1 big score with 47 off 28 vs Pakistan.
How Gill was brought back to the top of the order was at the expense of the experienced and explosive batters such as Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both of whom had made strong cases out of themselves. By the time it opened in 2024, Samson had an average near 43 and a strike of more than 180 and had three T20 centuries to his name. But now he is relegated down the pecking order and is not infrequently denied a decent batting hour. Jaiswal is also more superior in terms of a higher strike rate, and average as an opener in T20Is but is very much underutilized. The move to support Gill this way might be suffocating the line of attack oriented openers who might have been more effective in serving the T20 philosophy of India.
Tactically, the style of Gill is not as compatible with the extreme aggression India is pursuing at the summit of the order. The fact that he prefers to begin slowly is in stark contrast with the T20 demand of the present day where aggression is required immediately. Although those in charge of his team maintain that his composure matches the explosive nature of Abhishek Sharma, such juggling might not work on flatter boards where a fast on slaught will establish the atmosphere. The slower start that Gill has could hold the lineup especially when the conditions of the T20 oriented matches require both openers to strike at high rates.
Also Read: Abhishek Sharma Tops Asia Cup 2025 Runs Chart! Leaves Behind Virat Kohli
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