With Abhishek Sharma in top form, India must find a strong opening partner — does Shubman Gill still fit T20I plans?
Since the beginning of 2025, Shubman Gill has notched up only 263 T20I runs in 14 innings at an average of below 24. Even though his strike rate has crossed 140, the right-handed batter is yet to celebrate a half-century in this period. That’s a massive headache for the management, just seven weeks before the T20 World Cup 2026.
Gill returned to action since sustaining a neck injury against South Africa during the Kolkata Test. But with scores of four and a golden duck, he finds himself under tremendous pressure to retain his place in the third T20I. Due to his struggles, run-scoring has become an extra burden for his partner, Abhishek Sharma.
Shubman Gill’s poor returns against South Africa rings alarm bell
Since the beginning of 2023, Gill has accumulated only 816 runs in 33 T20I innings against Test-playing nations. His average is just a touch over 28 with one century and three fifties. That’s a median record for someone who is replacing Rohit Sharma at the opening position in the T20Is.
Read More: Gill included for T20Is against SA, but shouldn’t India have better preserved him for Tests & ODIs?
Shubman Gill’s overall T20I performance by year
| Year | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s/100s | HS |
| 2023 | 13 | 312 | 26.00 | 145.12 | 01/01 | 126* |
| 2024 | 08 | 266 | 38.00 | 133.00 | 02/00 | 66 |
| 2025 | 14 | 263 | 23.91 | 142.93 | 00/00 | 47 |
| Overall | 35 | 841 | 28.03 | 140.40 | 03/01 | 126* |
In the ongoing year, his average has dropped to 23.80 in 12 T20I innings against full-member nations. His highest score of 47 runs came against Pakistan during the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2025. At home, the Punjab batter’s overall T20I average remains below 30 in nine innings.
Since the end of the T20 World Cup 2024, Gill has opened in 21 innings for India in the shortest format. Out of those, he has crossed the 50+ run mark only twice. His average is under 30 for 506 runs, with the best score of 66.
In that same period, Sanju Samson, who is a potential replacement for Gill at the opening position, managed 417 T20I runs. Samson’s average is nearly 35 at a strike rate of 182.89, thanks to three centuries.
Read More: South Africa series last chance for India to figure out their combination ahead of T20 WC 2026
India openers’ performance since the end of T20 World Cup 2024
| Players | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s/100s | HS |
| A Sharma | 28 | 1022 | 37.85 | 191.38 | 06/02 | 135 |
| S Gill | 21 | 506 | 29.76 | 136.02 | 02/00 | 66 |
| S Samson | 13 | 417 | 34.75 | 182.89 | 00/03 | 111 |
| Y Jaiswal | 06 | 221 | 44.20 | 170.00 | 01/00 | 93* |
It’s quite unfortunate that despite Samson’s golden run, he isn’t getting enough chances as opener. Even Yashasvi Jaiswal impressed in his six T20I innings for 221 runs at a strike rate of 170.
Should India move away from Shubman Gill in T20Is?
In the opening T20I of the ongoing series against the Proteas in Cuttack, Gill threw his hands against Lungi Ngidi’s wide-length delivery. It took the thick outside edge and flew down finer in the third man region for a boundary.
On the very next delivery, he gave himself a bit of room and ran down the track to loft the pacer over mid-off. But due to no timing, he chipped it straight up in the air as Marco Jansen grabbed a simple catch.
A couple of evenings later in New Chandigarh, he was caught in his crease against the same fast bowler. Gill ended up getting an outside edge as Reeza Hendricks collected the catch easily in the slip region. The 26-year-old returned for a golden duck. Now the question arises whether India will continue to keep going with the opener in Dharamsala for the third T20I?
Samson is warming the benches. In his presence, India will get the wicket-keeping option, which will also open the door for bringing an all-rounder or an extra bowler to replace Jitesh Sharma. The Vidarbha batter’s T20I record of 162 runs at an average of 18, with the best score of 35, isn’t promising.
Even if India don’t want to bring Samson in the opening spot, Jaiswal could be a good replacement at the top. The Southpaw can form the most brutal opening partnership with Abhishek in T20Is. That will be a massive boost for them in the home T20 World Cup.
Otherwise, they can keep an eye on Ishan Kishan, who can be another perfect replacement for Samson. The left-handed batter featured for India in 31 T20Is to score 796 runs at a strike rate of 124.37 with six half-centuries. Meanwhile, he has been in fine touch with 318 runs at a strike rate of 192.72 during the ongoing SMAT 2025-26.
Despite all of these struggles, Gill could again turn up in the third T20I against South Africa. That game will take place on December 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Dharamsala. But if he continues to show poor performance, then it will be high time for the selectors to make a change in the upcoming home series against New Zealand.
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