Shubman Gill's horrible T20I run decoded: Will Sanju Samson be back in India XI as opener?

Shubman Gill's failure has strengthened Samson's case [Source: AFP]

Indian batter Shubman Gill had a disappointing outing in the first T20I against South Africa. Opening the batting with his fellow Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma, Gill managed only four runs before being dismissed by Lungi Ngidi in the very first over. 

Gill's dismissal rocked the Indian innings before Hardik Pandya played a valuable cameo to steady the ship. The Indian vice-captain hasn't had a great T20I comeback since returning to the shortest format for the 2025 Asia Cup. With Sanju Samson making his presence felt, Gill is feeling the heat and must step up to save his place. 

Why has Shubman Gill failed after making his T20I comeback?

(Shubman Gill's T20I career in two halves)

• As evidenced by the above stats, Shubman Gill has increased his strike rate from 139.3 to 143.7 after making a T20I comeback. His dot percentage, which stood at 39.8, has reduced significantly to 32.8 since the Asia Cup. 
• These figures suggest that Gill has been more proactive, consistently trying to score runs at a brisker pace after making his T20I return. However, his aggressive approach has affected his consistency, reducing his average from 30.4 to 26.3. 

What should Shubman Gill do for a T20I renaissance?

• Considering Gill recently recovered from a neck injury, he needs to take a bit of time before shifting gears. The Gujarat Titans skipper smashed 650 runs in the IPL 2025 at a superb average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.88. But it's worth noting that Gill used to adopt a cautious approach in the IPL, with his dot percentage reading 35 in the powerplay. 
• With Abhishek Sharma leading the charge, Gill has the luxury to play the anchor's role for the Indian T20I side. However, the reason why he has adopted a more aggressive route could be the depth in India's lineup and a clear message from the team management to go berserk from the word go. 

Busting the myth: Shubman Gill isn't slower than Sanju Samson in powerplay

(Samson vs Gill in powerplay in since IND vs BAN 2024 series)

• Sanju Samson formally replaced Rohit Sharma and was given a consistent run as a T20I opener until Shubman Gill's comeback in the Asia Cup. Although Samson smashed three magnificent centuries, his approach in the powerplay was more defensive than Gill's. 
• As evidenced by the above stats, Gill has registered a better strike rate and lower dot percentage than Samson in the powerplay phase since the India vs Bangladesh series last year. 
• The fact that Gill scores at a better rate than Samson despite recording a lower boundary percentage indicates that he has rotated the strike more frequently, doing the opener's job with perfection. 

Conclusion

With Abhishek Sharma playing the aggressor's role, India should persist with Shubman Gill and give him a long rope to prove his mettle. He is technically better and has been more proactive than Samson in the powerplay, although the latter has made his starts count on multiple occasions. 

Added to that, his bonding with Abhishek could also help him form an impactful opening pair with Abhishek Sharma. So, despite Gill's torrid run, chances are higher that India will persist with him, as they see him as their all-format captain in the future. 

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