At a press conference ahead of the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, Team India captain Hardik Pandya announced that Shubman Gill will open the innings for the team. This announcement follows a similar show of confidence from Rohit Sharma, who made it clear ahead of the Sri Lanka series that Gill would open ahead of Ishan Kishan.
Pandya stated that Gill has “done exceptionally well” and that there is “no talk about the opportunity” for anyone else to take his place in the team. This decision is in line with Gill’s recent performances, as he has registered three 100-plus scores in his last four ODI innings. He smashed 116 off 97 against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram and followed it up with 208 off 149 balls in the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad, becoming the fifth Indian batter and the youngest overall to smash an ODI double hundred.
There are several reasons why Gill starting in India’s XI for the New Zealand T20Is is the right move. Firstly, former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has stated that, after Virat Kohli, Gill could be the biggest batting star in the country who could dominate all formats. Secondly, given the tremendous form that Gill has displayed in recent games, it would be impossible to look beyond him as one of the openers in Team India’s white-ball formats.
Thirdly, Gill’s T20 credentials are not to be underestimated. He has a decent record in the format, scoring 2635 runs in 98 T20s at an average of 32.93 and a strike rate of 128.78, with one hundred and 17 fifties. Furthermore, Pandya, who captained Gill in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, will know a thing or two about Gill’s T20 credentials. The latter opened the batting for the Gujarat Titans (GT) last season and was one of the keys to their title triumph in their maiden season, smashing 483 runs in 16 matches at an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of 132.33, with four fifties.
While Prithvi Shaw has also made his comeback into the T20I squad on the basis of his domestic exploits, he will have to wait for his chances. The 23-year-old made his T20I debut during the Men in Blue’s tour of Sri Lanka in July 2021 but hasn’t played another match in the format for India since. Shaw has fallen behind Gill and Kishan in the pecking order with regard to the opening slot in T20Is and has been picked as the backup opener for the T20Is against New Zealand.
In summary, the decision to start Shubman Gill in the T20I series against New Zealand is the right move as he has been in stupendous form lately, has a decent record in the T20 format, and is considered by many as a potential star in all formats of the game. While Prithvi Shaw has also made a comeback, he will have to wait for his chances as Gill and Kishan are ahead of him in the pecking order for the opening slot in T20Is.
