Shubman Gill has looked tentative in the ongoing T20I series in Australia.
Shubman Gill is the next all-format captain for Team India. He has already received the captaincy of Tests and ODIs and in the shorter format, he is the vice-captain of the team. That indicates that India are investing in him to lead the team across format for the next handful years.
His numbers in tests and ODIs have been pretty impressive, but when it comes to the shorter format, has Gill done justice to his stature? The last half-century for Shubman Gill came in July 2024 against Zimbabwe in Harare. Since then, he has played 14 innings without a fifty, which is very rare for an opener.
The Indian coach Gautam Gambhir has been vocal about aggressive templates in T20Is, but Gill looks to be a weaker link. He played yet another slow knock in the fourth T20I against Australia in Queensland, where he scored 46 off 39 balls, at a strike rate of 117.95. Gill has scored 103 runs in four innings in Australia with a strike rate of 127.16.
Notably, Gill has been consistently opening the wicket for India in T20Is since the Asia Cup 2025. But before that, India had a pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, which found success at the top of the order. However, Samson had to sacrifice his position to accommodate Gill at the top, which hasn't worked well for India as of now.
Shubman Gill's Stats vs Other Indian T20I Openers Since January 2023
Team India have done several experiments in their T20I setup, including the opening position. In the last 2-3 years, India have gone with a few openers in this format. Abhishek Sharma has been the most successful opener in this duration, having scored 912 runs at a strike rate of 196.55. Apart from Abhishek, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson have also fared well at the top.
Samson has scored 417 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 182.89, with three centuries, while Jaiswal has scored 723 runs in 22 innings with a strike rate of 164.31 and five half-centuries and one century. Ruturaj Gaikwad has also played nine innings at the top and has scored 365 runs at a strike rate of 147.17, with two fifties and one hundred.
Among all Indian openers, Gill has the lowest strike rate in T20Is. He has scored 747 runs in 30 innings as an opener at a strike rate of 141.20, with three half-centuries and one century. Notably, Gill has also featured in most games as a T20I opener in the last 2-3 years.
Is Shubman Gill becoming a burden on the Indian T20I side?
Under Gambhir, Team India have adopted an aggressive batting template where every batter starts to go after the bowling from the first ball. It worked for India, where they remained unbeaten for a period of time. However, since India introduced Gill as an opener, things shifted drastically.
Gill is someone who takes a few balls to get settled and then goes after the bowling, which has become outdated in modern-day cricket. Interestingly, India have only scored 200 or more in three games out of 30 when Gill opened the innings for India. That is something this team needs to look at, as they will be defending the T20 World Cup title at home.
Who can replace Shubman Gill as T20I opener?
If we look at the current T20I setup, there are several players who can replace Gill as T20I opener. Samson, who has been forced to bat down the order, can come at the top with Abhishek. If not, India have the option of Jaiswal, who can walk into any T20 team across the world as an opener.
But will India drop Gill from T20I? In reality, it looks a bit difficult. Appointing Gill as a vice-captain in T20Is clearly indicates that India see him as the next captain. That is where India have to adjust Gill, who can play at a strike rate of 140-145, but it is not feasible for modern-day cricket now.