IND vs AUS: Shubman Gill's T20I inclusion as opener has been unjust to Sanju Samson, felt Aakash Chopra. (AP/BCCI)Shubman Gill’s underwhelming T20I return through the Asia Cup could put him under some pressure during the five-match T20I series with multiple contenders vying for his opening spot, said former India opener Aakash Chopra.
Gill did not have the best of returns after a year’s gap back into the T20I side in September as vice-captain for the Asia Cup, scoring only 127 runs in seven innings at a 21.16 average. Gill had return to the side, replacing wicket-keeper Sanju Samson at the top after the Kerala batter had struck three centuries in the 2024 calendar year, the most by any T20I batter.
Chopra said Gill’s initiation has come as an unfair blow to Samson and that the Punjab batter must justify his position in the forthcoming series in Australia.
“This T20I series will be extremely important for Shubman Gill. It’s important for him because runs weren’t scored when he was elevated to ODI captaincy. Again, you can’t read too much into it because it’s just been one series. I get that. So it’s not like there is a question on his place,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“People are breathing down his neck. One is in the team itself. Sanju Samson had opened and done well. You are keeping him with the team and making him bat down the order. Many times, it seems like you are being unjust to Sanju Samson. There is pressure if you are not making him open,” he added.
Chopra also added that star southpaw Yashasvi Jaiswal is also waiting in the wings without game time in the format. Jaiswal has the highest T20I strike rate among the three, scoring 723 runs at 164.31 in just 22 innings. While Samson has the most runs overall, with 993 runs across 42 innings at a strike rate of 147.98, Gill sits at 705 runs from 28 innings with a strike rate of 141.28.
“Yasahsvi Jaiswal is around the corner. He says he is also there and should also be played, and that he would also hit if he is played. So making Yashasvi Jaiswal sit out also becomes an issue of pressure,” Chopra observed.
Chopra also observed that Gill wasted his opportunity to play a match-winning knock in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai.
“The truth is that the Asia Cup was also just decent. In the final, actually that was that kind of pitch and that kind of total where you look towards Shubman Gill and say that he should win the game, but he couldn’t win that game,” he said.
“Let’s be fair, Shubman Gill has come with good form. He played well in the Test matches against the West Indies. He wasn’t seen playing badly here either. Maybe short of runs, if we see the last three games, but he doesn’t look out of form. However, there will be slight pressure on him,” Chopra remarked.
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