Aakash Chopra opens up on Shubman Gill’s place in T20Is amid IND vs SA 2025 series

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has shed light on Shubman Gill’s place in India’s T20I team amid the series against South Africa. Gill returned to India’s T20I team for the Asia Cup and he was also appointed as the side’s vice-captain.

However, the Indian opener could not deliver the goods as he managed only 127 runs in the continental tournament. In the high-octane final clash against Pakistan, Gill was dismissed cheaply for 12 runs in the run chase of 147. Chopra reckons Gill not getting runs in a low-scoring final was a problem as his main role is to play an anchor role when the target is not a big one.

Aakash Chopra said on Shubhankar Mishra podcast, “Shubman Gill was being prepared for a 150-run match, like the 2025 Asia Cup final. Shubman not scoring runs in that match is a problem. I am not that bothered by what happens around it because he has been hired for that one job. All the others are strokemakers; they don’t have another gear, but you have.”

The renowned commentator noted that the scores in the big finals are generally below par as the teams play with fear.

“If you look at multi-nation tournaments, the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Asia Cup, you won’t find 200-plus scores. You talk about 250-300 in bilaterals, but a team rarely does that in an ICC event because everyone plays with fear.

“The approach of playing differently and hitting sixes is there. But when an ICC event comes, everyone wants a safety-first approach. India have assembled so many strikers that either they will score 225 or 125. You are no longer playing in the middle; it’s either this end or that end. So, the investment in Gill is to cover that middle part.”

Meanwhile, Gill had scored 650 runs in 15 matches of IPL 2025 and he led the Gujarat Titans from the front. Furthermore, he amassed 890 runs in 17 matches of IPL 2023.

“He has scored runs in the IPL; it’s not like he is not a T20 player. If you look at his last three IPL seasons, one was a Virat Kohli-esque season, where he made his team win by hitting hundreds. 2024 was not that good, but 2023 was outstanding; it seemed like he would break Virat Kohli’s record. Sai Sudharsan was the leading run-scorer in 2025, but he too scored a lot of runs. So, it’s not like he doesn’t have T20 credentials. He has already scored hundreds for India in all three formats.”

Meanwhile, Gill is likely to be ruled out of the second Test against South Africa due to a neck spasm.