New Delhi, Aug 16 Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Yashasvi Jaiswal has a slight edge over Shubman Gill in the race for a place in India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, citing the left-handed batter’s game being suited more towards T20 game.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee are most likely to meet on August 19 to pick India’s squad for the Asia Cup, to be held from September 9-28 in the UAE. Both Gill and Jaiswal last played a T20I more than a year ago, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson becoming the first-choice opening pair.
“It is important that you keep an opener with you because, while counting the previous 15-member squad, there was no third opener in the Indian team. We never thought that if Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson would lose their form, then who would open. But then, you have to keep a third opener for the World Cup.”
“As per T20 figures, Yashasvi is little ahead of Shubman. The way he plays T20 and the DNA of the team, he also marries that style. Sometimes it also happens that if you pick Shubman as the third opener, who is your Test captain, the ODI vice-captain, now you have him on the bench in T20Is, that will not look very nice.”
“So the selectors will be thinking that if we are going to select Shubman, then we will have to give him a place in the eleven. Though picking Shubman is tempting, but I feel Yashasvi should be slightly ahead in this race,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel on Saturday.
It may not be easy for the selectors to leave out either Gill or Jaiswal, but accommodating them in the squad from the outside looks equally challenging. With a settled opening pair of Abhishek and Sanju, followed by Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya, India’s batting line-up already looks formidable with proven performers.
While there could be a possibility of including one of them, the question is at whose expense. “But if that third opener is Shubman, do you want him to sit on the bench? If you don't make him sit and play in the eleven, who will he come in for? If that player's name is Sanju Samson, who will keep wickets?”
“That is the problem because we don't see Sanju Samson playing in the middle order. You would want him at the top of the order. Tilak and Surya will play at number three and four. So, Sanju at fifth? That won't be a good story. If you want someone at fifth, then you will have to think about Jitesh Sharma because he has done very well in the IPL,” added Chopra.
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