Players Who Could Be Sidelined From India's T20 WC Plans If Shubman Gill Performs In Asia Cup

Shubman Gill's selection could shut the door for several players [Source: AFP]

Recently, the BCCI selection committee unveiled India's robust squad for the Asia Cup 2025. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue will take on the United Arab Emirates and their arch-rivals, Pakistan, before locking horns with Oman in the tournament. 

While Shreyas Iyer's exclusion became a hot topic for discussion, the comeback of Shubman Gill as the vice-captain made fans raise their eyebrows. 

Gill's appointment as Suryakumar's deputy ensures he will play all matches, giving him a golden chance to cement his place in the T20I team. 

Although this could be a lifeline for Gill to revamp his T20I career, several Indian players might be ignored for the shortest format and miss out on the T20 World Cup if the Punjab batter performs in the showpiece event. 

Why Is Gill's T20I Return A Setback For Prominent Indian Batters?

Gill's revamped T20 approach promises dream Asia Cup return

• There was a time when the cricketing world kept Shubman Gill in the anchors' category. The stylish batter used to take a bit of time before shifting his gears. However, he has recently revamped his batting in T20 cricket, as evidenced by the data in the table below. 

(Shubman Gill's T20 career in two halves)

The data presented above depicts a significant improvement in Shubman Gill's T20 batting prowess. While he has struck at a rapid rate, an increase in his boundary runs percentage and a decrease in his dot ball percentage show his progress, establishing him as a tough competitor for several Indian batters. 

Potential leadership candidate

• Apart from his evolution as a T20 batter, Gill's leadership attributes have made him a genuine candidate to replace Suryakumar Yadav as the Indian captain after the T20 World Cup. 
• In fact, the BCCI's thought process behind recalling him into the shortest format is to hand him over the T20I captaincy, making it challenging for his rivals to make a T20I comeback. 

Players Who Could Be Snubbed From T20 WC If Gill Performs In Asia Cup

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma have established themselves as regular members of the Indian T20I setup. So, considering their consistency, India will likely give them ample opportunities before the T20 World Cup. 

In such a scenario, if Shubman Gill cements his place through a string of impressive outings in the Asia Cup, here are several players who might be ignored in the format ahead of the marquee event next year. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad

(Ruturaj Gaikwad's T20I stats)

• Ruturaj Gaikwad rose to prominence following his exploits for the Chennai Super Kings as a youngster in the IPL. He capitalised on limited opportunities in T20Is, amassing 633 runs in 20 innings at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53. 
• However, despite proving his mettle as an opener and number three batter, Gaikwad was silently sidelined from the T20I setup after the Australia series, where he struck 133 runs at an average of 66.50 and a blistering strike rate of 158.33. 
• Given that he doesn't seem to be in India's T20I plans, it will only get tougher for Gaikwad to play the tournament if Gill claims a regular place in the XI with Asia Cup heroics. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal

• Shubman Gill's selection over Yashasvi Jaiswal for the Asia Cup grabbed the headlines when India announced their squad for the mega event. With Abhishek and Samson performing consistently, Gill was preferred for the remaining top-order batter's slot due to his leadership qualities. 
• So, if Gill manages to prove his mettle in the Asia Cup, his success could further delay Jaiswal's T20I comeback despite the swashbuckling southpaw scoring 723 runs across 22 innings at an average of 36.1 and a strike rate of 164.3. 

B Sai Sudharsan

• Another player who might not be preferred for the T20 World Cup over Shubman Gill is B Sai Sudharsan. The promising batter has proved himself as Tamil Nadu's Mr. consistent in the domestic circuit. 
• He has scored 2271 runs in 59 T20 innings at an average of 43.67 and a healthy strike rate of 138.05. He also had an exceptional IPL season, clinching the prestigious orange cap with 759 runs at a superb average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17. 
• However, if Shubman Gill grabs his chance with both hands, Sudharsan might have to wait longer and miss out on the T20 World Cup selection. 

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