Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shubman Gill? Aakash Chopra Names Rohit Sharma's Opening Partner For T20 World Cup 2024

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra reckons that Yashasvi Jaiswal has cemented his place as the opener over Shubman Gill for the T20 World Cup. Aakash Chopra stated that Yashasvi Jaiswal is undroppable, considering his impressive performances in recent times.

Yashasvi Jaiswal missed the first T20I in the recently concluded three-match series against Afghanistan. The left-handed batter scored 72 runs in two innings at an impressive strike rate of 180.00. He played a 34-ball 68-run knock in the second T20I match in Indore.

On the other hand, Shubman Gill scored 23 runs at an impressive strike rate of 191.67 in his sole appearance against Afghanistan. Overall, the batter has scored 335 runs in 14 T20Is at a notable strike rate of 147.58, including a century and a half-century in the format.

Yashasvi Jaiswal Has Run Ahead Of Shubman Gill – Aakash Chopra

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Yashasvi Jaiswal has gone beyond Shubman Gill in the race for the opening position. Chopra highlighted Jaiswal’s consistent performances, making him almost undroppable from the squad.

“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,” Chopra said.

“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,” he added.

Jaiswal received a call-up to the senior team following his standout performances in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his international debut during the West Indies tour in 2023. He has since solidified a place in the team for both T20I and Test formats.

Opening Is The Best Place For Virat Kohli In T20s – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra stated that Virat Kohli is most effective as an opener in T20s, but the Indian team has kept him at No. 3. Chopra mentioned that the absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav influenced their decision to keep Kohli at No. 3.

“Before this series, Parthiv Patel said and I added more voice to that opinion, and I still believe opening is the best place for Kohli in T20s. However, it seems like Kohli will be at No. 3 because the Indian team is not thinking (about getting him to open),” Chopra further stated.

“They are also not thinking because Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav aren’t there at the moment. So they are not thinking about the number of left-handers and right-handers. We have Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube – three left-handers,” he concluded.

Virat Kohli made a comeback for the T20I squad during the second match against Afghanistan. The 35-year-old played a quickfire cameo, scoring 29 runs off 16 balls in his comeback match. However, he was dismissed for a golden duck in the third game in Bengaluru.

Also read: Maheesh Theekshana, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal Climb In ICC Rankings Following Impressive Displays