India recently trumped Afghanistan 3-0 in the three-match T20I series, with those three games indeed providing a few answers ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup that is set to begin in June and will be played in the USA and the Caribbean.
While India are not going to play any T20Is before the start of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the series did provide a lot of clarity five months in advance. Rohit Sharma, who hadn't played a single T20I since November 2022, returned to the shortest format in style by becoming the first player in international cricket to score five T20I centuries.
Now, all eyes will be on the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the tournament is likely going to be the barometer for selection, even though many players are locked in.
However, one decision that might prove to be the biggest headache for head coach Rahul Dravid could be choosing between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as Rohit's go-to opening partner at the T20 World Cup.
Speaking on the same topic, former cricketer-turned commentator Aakash Chopra shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of Shubman Gill according to Aakash Chopra
In a video titled 'Who Will Keep For India in T20 WC?', uploaded on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Jaiswal had leapfrogged Gill in the race to become Rohit's opening partner at the T20 World Cup.
It's clear that Yashasvi Jaiswal has run ahead of Shubman Gill. Yashasvi is ahead in the two-horse race, Gill is lagging slightly behind. Gill was played in the first match, dropped in the second, and wasn't played in the third as well.
Yashasvi was made to open in all three (last two) games. He was sent in the Super Over as well. The way Yashasvi is batting, it seems like he is not going anywhere. Considering what Yashasvi did in Indore and has done previously as well, he has become almost undroppable.
Indeed, Jaiswal has been in terrific form in T20Is ever since making his debut in 2023. The left-hander has scored 502 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of over 160.
It's his explosive batting displays at the top of the order, and with noteworthy consistency, which has seen him leapfrog Gill.
What has also hurt Gill is that since he made his only century in T20Is on February 1, 2023, against New Zealand, he has hit just one half-century in eight innings.
In those eight innings, he has six single-digit scores, which show how poor his form in the shortest format has been.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | S.R. | 50s | 100s | HS |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 17 | 16 | 502 | 33.47 | 161.93 | 4 | 1 | 100 |
| Shubman Gill | 14 | 14 | 335 | 25.77 | 147.97 | 1 | 1 | 126* |
What next for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill?
While it seems that Jaiswal, at the moment, is ahead of Gill in the race to be the primary opener at the T20 World Cup, the duo will shift their focus to red-ball cricket as they are part of India's Test squad which will host England for five Tests, starting from January 25.
Then, with the IPL serving as a good preparatory tournament, Jaiswal and Gill will be keen to perform exceedingly well in IPL 2024 which begins in late March.
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