Former India opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on the importance of the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa for Shubman Gill. The batter was a surprise inclusion for the tour of the West Indies and has not looked back since then as well.
Opining that Gill is showing his best form, Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “Dhawan and Gill will open the innings, the latter is not showing any signs of stopping. He has been outstanding, he has been consistent and making the most of his opportunities. India will play close to 30 ODIs until the 2023 ODI World Cup, so everyone has to try to maximize the chances availed.”
Shubman Gill was adjudged Player of the Series for his exploits in the three-match ODI series against West Indies. He did the same on the tour of Zimbabwe, where he smashed his maiden ODI hundred. He was recently seen playing for Glamorgan in the County Championship. Meanwhile, the current Indian second-string squad has a lot of openers and with skipper Shikhar Dhawan sealing down a spot at the top of the order, there are others like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan can play as openers, but Gill is highly likely to retain his place in the playing XI as well.
“I feel that India should go with two leg-spinners in the playing XI and go for wickets. Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan will score over 100 runs together. I think a big score is loading for Shubman Gill. Dhawan is playing competitive cricket after a while, so he might be a little rusty,” Aakash Chopra again stated.
He also opened up on Prithvi Shaw’s recent performances. He has scored two fifties and two hundreds across his last five matches across formats on the domestic circuit as well.
“There is no Prithvi Shaw for this series. When the squad was announced his name should have been there, right? He is a top top player. I think he should have been selected. I understand that Shaw is an opener and there are too many of them in the squad at the moment, but the amount of runs Shaw has scored, there has to be a time when he is called up. I frankly see him playing the next T20 World Cup. Management should start inducting him and utilizing him. His numbers are fantastic in domestic cricket. He is a destructive player, so he should have been part of this squad,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
