Credit: ANI
Former Team India pacer Madan Lal is content with the inclusion of Shubman Gill to open innings with Abhishek Sharma in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 to be played in the T20 International (T20I) format. With the induction of Gill in the 15-member squad for the continental tournament, there are a lot of speculations that Sanju Samson might not get a spot in India’s playing XI. Gill, who played his last T20I contest In July 2024, has played a lot of cricket with Abhishek. Both played together for Punjab in domestic cricket and noting this fact, the team management might trust them to open the innings for India at the major Asian event.
Madan Lal believes that both Gill and Abhishek hold stellar strike rates in cricket’s shortest form and they can be impactful for the Men in Blue in the powerplay overs. "I'm satisfied because it should have been done. Abhishek Sharma's strike rate is more than 225, and Shubman Gill's strike rate is more than 150. Opening is very important in T20Is. In the first six overs, the openers set the game. Then, after that, you have to ensure that your average is around 7, 8, or 9 and continue until the 14th or 16th over. In the last three to four overs, you have a big hitter like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel," said the World Cup 1983 champion to ANI.
Shubman Gill’s T20I numbers for Team India
Shubman Gill has played 21 T20Is for India and amassed 578 runs at a strike rate of 139.27 with a hundred and three fifties. This year, he didn’t get a chance to feature in T20Is for India but as Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper, he looked decent as an opener in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The right-handed batter ended up as the fourth-leading run-getter in the tournament, notching up 650 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 155.87.
He also looked stunning for India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. With 754 runs in 10 innings of five matches, he concluded the tournament as the highest run-scorer. Noting his scintillating form, expectations will be high from the 25-year-old for the upcoming tournament to begin on September 9.
