The India team has already reached the United States of America (USA) as they look to begin their campaign for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, set to place both in the US and the West Indies. It was quite interesting that the selectors went with Yashasvi Jaiswal in place of Shubman Gill.
The inaugural champions of the tournament lost the semifinal in the last edition against England, by a hammering 10-wicket margin. Even though most of the other teams have added a bit of youth to the team, India have gone with their experienced duo of Virat Kohli, who will shoulder most of the batting responsibilities for them.
Rohit Sharma will lead the 15-member squad, as they look to join the West Indies and England to win the trophy twice.
‘For me, Shubman Gill is a future leader’- Eoin Morgan
The way Yashasvi Jaiswal started his international career, there was hardly any doubt that he would make his way into the T20 World Cup squad. The left-handed batter has been a key for both the national side and the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), to get aggressive starts in the powerplay.
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However, the former England captain Eoin Morgan feels that the ‘Blue Brigade’ should have gone with Shubman Gill, instead of Jaiswal. Morgan was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who had Shubman Gill as their opener, during the 2021 season, where the franchise finished as the runners-up.
“The only decision I would have probably had differently if I was selecting the squad, I would have picked Shubman Gill over Yashasvi Jaiswal,” Eoin Morgan said during a podcast on ‘Sky Sports Cricket’. “It’s a big call, but I played alongside Shubman Gill, I know how he thinks, and how he works.’
Gill too has been a vital member of India in the limited overs format. The Punjab-born openers has smashed 335 runs so far in 14 T20Is, at an average of 25.76 and a strike rate of 147.57, consisting of one century and one fifty.
On the other hand, the left-handed opener Jaiswal has been part of 17 T20I for India to notch up 502 runs at an average of 33.46 and a strike rate of around 162, with four fifties and one century, which has been quite phenomenal record to have.
“For me, he (Shubman Gill) is a future leader within that side and I think in big moments, in World Cups, you need more leaders, even if he is sitting on the sidelines, you need inspiration and the sense of positivity,” the former England ODI World Cup winning captain, Morgan expressed during the same show.
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In the recently concluded IPL 2024, Gill celebrated 426 runs in 12 innings at an average of 38.72, and a strike rate of 147.40, with a couple of fifties and a century, while Jaiswal nailed up 435 runs at a strike rate of close to 160, with a fifty and century.
Eoin Morgan went on to approve in a funny way that he wasn’t approached for the India coach job. With Jaiswal, however, India will get the left-right opening combination as Rohit Sharma is expected to be the other opener.
India will start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 05, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.