![Gill or Babar, who has the worst T2OI year [Source: AFP Photo]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1765471057669_whohasbeenworseinT20Is.jpg?type=hq)
Gill or Babar, who has the worst T2OI year [Source: AFP Photo]
It has been a contrasting year for India’s poster boy, Shubman Gill. While the batter has excelled in Tests and ODIs, and has become the best in the world in the two formats, he has struggled in T20Is this year and has yet to play a significant knock to help India win a match. In the second T20I against South Africa, the vice-captain of the team registered a golden duck as his barren run continued.
If we cross the border, then another Asian star, Babar Azam, is also going through the same dry patch. He was dropped from the T20I side before the Asia Cup, but was suddenly brought back in the team. However, the numbers, and more importantly, the strike rate didn’t improve as he ended the year on a dry note.
With both the star players struggling, we take a look at which of the two had a worse year year in the T20I format.
Shubman Gill vs Babar Azam: Overall T20I stats in 2025
| Criterion | Shubman Gill | Babar Azam |
| Matches | 13 | 8 |
| Runs | 263 | 206 |
| Average | 26.30 | 34.33 |
| 50s | 0 | 2 |
| Strike rate | 143.72 | 114.44 |
- If we look at the overall T20I stats between Gill and Babar, the stats will reveal the entire story. While Gill has had a far better strike rate (143.72), as compared to 114.44, his average is considerably down as compared to Babar.
- Moreover, unlike Babar, Gill has opened the batting and has yet to score a single fifty-plus score. Meanwhile in T20Is, in 2025, Babar has already played two crucial fifty-plus knocks that helped the team win the match.
- However, one area where Gill obviously outshines Babar is the strike-rate, which is a key parameter in T20s.
Shubman Gill or Babar Azam: Who has played more significant T20I knocks in 2025
- Unlike Gill, Babar has two significant fifty-plus scores and the knocks helped Pakistan win the matches. The first of which came against a gritty South African unit. In the series decider, Pakistan needed 140 to beat the Proteas, and on a sluggish wicket, the Pakistan batter played a blinder (68 off 47) and secured the win and the series for the team.
- Then, in a crucial tri-series match against Zimbabwe, Babar showed his class and scored a quick-fire 74 off 52 and helped the team reach the finale.
- Gill, on the other hand, has not converted his starts into a big total. He has only one match-winning knock, and it came in a low-scoring game against Australia as the star batter scored 46 off 39 and won the match for his side.
Babar better average, but strike rate matters in T20Is
Yes, Babar has had more match-winning knocks, but it cannot be ruled out that Gill has had better numbers in terms of strike rate. Gone are the days when batters used to play as an anchor; the need of the hour is to play aggressively.
Yes, Gill has struggled to convert those starts into big ones and perhaps his place in the team is also questionable, but he has been slightly better than Babar, simply because of the quick runs he has scored.
By Gill's lofty standards, 263 runs in 13 matches are poor returns, but if the overall impact is judged, then he just edges Babar, and hence, if the data and other parameters are compared, then the Pakistan star has been less effective as compared to Gill.
