Ever since Shubman Gill made his comeback into India’s T20I squad as an opener starting with the Asia Cup 2025, he has failed to accumulate big scores despite opening the innings with an explosive batter like Abhishek Sharma.
Recently, his 39-ball-46-run knock (including 4 fours and 1 six) against the Aussies in the 4th T20I raised concerns about his slow approach in a dynamic-paced 20-over format.
Also, the 26-year-old failed to prove his worth as the team’s vice-captain while opening the innings for his team. Following a string of lackluster performances, the question arises whether selectors should still prefer Gill as the opening batter in T20I instead of Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Shubman Gill’s Lackluster Form in T20I Cricket
For more than a year, Shubman Gill wasn’t a regular player in India’s T20I squad. Rather, Sanju Samson made the best use of the opening slot instead of Gill, but some unexpected changes occurred before the Asia Cup 2025.
Gill’s inclusion as vice-captain not only replaced Samson as opener but also disrupted the entire batting line-up.
Let’s take a look at his batting stats in T20Is in 2025 so far:
| T20I Matches Played | 11 |
| Innings | 11 |
| Runs Scored | 230 |
| Not Outs | 2 |
| Balls Faced | 165 |
| Average | 25.55 |
| Strike Rate | 139.39 |
| 100s | 0 |
| 50s | 0 |
| Highest Score | 47 Runs (28 Balls) vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 Super Four |
Considering his form in the Asia Cup 2025, Gill managed to score just 127 runs in 7 innings, averaging just 21.16. Only once did he manage to reach closer to a half-century, which was the high-profile clash against Pakistan in the Super Fours of the tournament.
Not Even a Single Half-Century in T20Is For Gill in 2025
Shockingly, Shubman Gill continues to retain his spot in T20Is despite not scoring a single fifty in T20Is this year. Here is how he managed to score 230 runs in 11 innings against these different teams, starting from the Asia Cup 2025 till the ongoing Australian tour so far:
| Opponent Team | Runs Scored | Balls Faced | Fours and Sixes | Strike Rate |
| UAE (Asia Cup 2025 Group Stages) | 20* | 9 | 2 Fours and 1 Six | 222.22 |
| Pakistan (Asia Cup 2025 Group Stages) | 10 | 7 | 2 Fours | 142.85 |
| Oman (Asia Cup 2025 Group Stages) | 5 | 8 | 1 Four | 62.50 |
| Pakistan (Asia Cup 2025 Super Four) | 47 | 28 | 8 Fours | 167.85 |
| Bangladesh (Asia Cup 2025 Super Four) | 29 | 19 | 2 Fours and 1 Six | 152.63 |
| Sri Lanka (Asia Cup 2025 Super Four) | 4 | 3 | 1 Four | 133.33 |
| Pakistan (Asia Cup 2025 Final) | 12 | 10 | 1 Four | 120.00 |
| Australia | 37* | 20 | 4 Fours and 1 Six | 185.00 |
| Australia 2nd T20I | 5 | 16 | – | 50.00 |
| Australia 3rd T20I | 15 | 12 | 1 Four | 125.00 |
| Australia 4th T20I | 46 | 39 | 4 Fours and 1 Six | 117.94 |
Only twice did Gill manage to compile a 40+ score, and there were six occasions where he scored 15 runs or less. So, there are no signs of the vice-captain returning to his peak form, and his composed batting style is certain to affect India’s aggression in the batting line-up.
Yashasvi Jaiswal Deserves a Spot in T20Is?
While Shubman Gill has struggled to maintain his form with the bat, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been keen to secure his spot as an opener with his aggressive batting style.
Having shown consistency across all formats, the southpaw has been a core opener for India only in tests.
Although Jaiswal played double the innings of Gill, his stats are beyond comparison to the current vice-captain of the T20I squad.
| T20I Matches Played | 23 |
| Innings | 22 |
| Runs Scored | 723 |
| Not Outs | 2 |
| Balls Faced | 440 |
| Average | 36.15 |
| Strike Rate | 164.31 |
| 100s | 1 |
| 50s | 5 |
| Highest Score | 100 |
Why was Gill too Much Preferred over Jaiswal?
One of the main reasons why Shubman Gill was prioritized over Yashasvi Jaiswal was due to his impressive stats in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025:
| Stats | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Shubman Gill |
| Runs Scored | 559 Runs in 14 Innings | 650 Runs in 15 Innings |
| Balls Faced | 350 | 417 |
| Average | 43 | 50 |
| Strike Rate | 159.71 | 155.87 |
| 100s | 0 | 0 |
| 50s | 6 | 6 |
| Best Score | 75 | 93* |
Final Thoughts
Although Yashasvi Jaiswal was impressive with his batting form in IPL 2025, he is still sidelined from the T20I squad for a long time.
With Gill’s recent struggles to perform well in the shortest format, the opportunities have opened up for Jaiswal to make his comeback into the 20-over squad. At the same time, the left-handed batter still faces higher competition from Sanju Samson to earn a well-deserved opening spot for his side.