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Team India's squad for the three-match T20I series against South Africa have three openers being in the squad including the ever-consistent Shubman Gill. Here, in this article, we will have a look at which two batters should open for India in T20Is for the remaining two games against South Africa by looking at their T20I stats and recent IPL season records.
1. Shubman Gill in T20Is:
- Inns - 11
- Runs - 304
- Avg - 30.4
- S.R - 146.85
- 50s - 1; 100s - 1
Shubman Gill played
- Three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in January 2023 (Home).
- Three-match T20I series against New Zealand in January/February 2023 (Home).
- Five-match T20I series against West Indies in August 2023 (Away).
Gill scored 46 vs Sri Lanka in Rajkot, 126* vs New Zealand in Ahmedabad, and 77 vs West Indies in Lauderhill.
Shubman Gill was the leading run-scorer in IPL 2023 and hence won the Player of the Series award.
Shubman Gill in IPL 2023:
- Inns - 17
- Runs - 890
- Avg - 59.33
- S.R - 157.8
- 50s - 4; 100s - 3
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal in T20Is:
- Inns - 12
- Runs - 370
- Avg - 33.63
- S.R - 163.71
- 50s - 2; 100s - 1
Yashasvi Jaiswal played
- Three T20I matches against West Indies in August 2023 (Away)
- Three-match T20I series against Ireland in August 2023 (Away) - 1 game abandoned
- Two innings as an opener in the Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition on October 2023 (Hangzhou)
- Five-match T20I series against Australia in November to December, 2023
Jaiswal scored 84* vs West Indies in Lauderhill, 100 vs Nepal in the Asian Games, and 53(25) vs Australia in Thiruvananthapuram.
Jaiswal, apart from the fifties and hundreds, gave many quick-fire start innings in the recent five-match series against Australia where he scored 21(8) at the Vizag also in the first T20I match.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was the leading run-scorer for RR in IPL 2023 and overall he is the fifth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2023.
Yashasvi Jaiswal in IPL 2023:
- Inns - 14
- Runs - 625
- Avg - 48.07
- S.R - 163.61
- 50s - 5; 100s - 1
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad in T20Is:
- Inns - 17
- Runs - 500
- Avg - 35.71
- S.R - 140.05
- 50s - 3; 100s - 1
Ruturaj Gaikwad played
- Two T20I matches against Sri Lanka in July 2021 (Away).
- One T20I match against West Indies in February 2022 (Home).
- Five-match T20I series against South Africa in June 2022 (Home).
- Three-match T20I series against Ireland in August 2023 (Away) - 1 game abandoned.
- Two innings as an opener in the Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition on October 2023 (Hangzhou).
- Five-match T20I series against Australia from November to December 2023 (Home).
Gaikwad scored 57(35) vs South Africa in Vizag, 58(43) vs Ireland in Dublin, 58(43) vs Australia in Thiruvananthapuram and 123*(57) vs Australia in Guwahati.
He also scored 40*(26) against Bangladesh in the Asian Men's Cricket competition.
Ruturaj Gaikwad won the orange cap in IPL 2021 and in the recently concluded IPL 2023 season, he was the second-highest run-scorer for CSK after Devon Conway.
Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2023:
- Inns - 15
- Runs - 590
- Avg - 42.14
- S.R - 147.5
- 50s - 4
Although Gaikwad was the highest run-scorer in the India vs Australia five-match T20I series, Jaiswal's quick-fire start and his intent shown with the bat would help him to start ahead of Gaikwad to open the innings with Shubman Gill.
