“I will be tempted to play him instead of Gill”, Wasim Jaffer has named the replacement for Shubman Gill for the 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka

In the current series against Sri Lanka, Shubman Gill has only had two chances to make a significant score. In the first game of the series in Mumbai, he was LBW for 7 off Maheesh Theekshana, and in the second game at Pune, he was holed out in mid-on for 5 after dreadfully mistiming a short-arm flick off Kasun Rajitha.

It is now more expensive than ever to make mistakes when playing for the Indian national team. This is particularly true for younger players just starting out on the international scene. It’s tough enough to make the team, and then there’s the never-ending battle to crack the starting lineup, so you can’t afford to blow a chance when you have it. 

It’s possible you won’t receive another opportunity if you botch your first few tries. There are at least two cricketers vying for every berth on the Indian team, so maintaining your position will be challenging. Shubman Gill is in a similar predicament.

Despite earning his spot in the T20I squad with some impressive outings at the top of the order in one-day internationals, the right-hander has been unable to make an impact with the bat in the current series against Sri Lanka. 

In the first game of the series in Mumbai, he was LBW for 7 against Maheesh Theekshana, and in the second game at Pune, he was holed out in mid-on against Kasun Rajitha for 5.

Already, Ruturaj Gaikwad is being discussed as a possible replacement for Gill at the top of the batting order. Wasim Jaffer, a former India opener, thinks Gaikwad should bat in Saturday’s decisive game. While playing for Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (India’s domestic 50-overs event), Gaikwad was in superb form, amassing five hundred (including a double century).

“I think Ruturaj Gaikwad should get a chance. He has scored a lot of runs (in domestic cricket). He was outstanding in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, hasn’t been in great touch in the previous two matches. He has been disappointing. I will be tempted to play Ruturaj Gaikwad. He has been warming the benches for quite some time now,” Jaffer said on ESPNCricinfo.

Interestingly, Gill replaced Gaikwad after the former failed to reach 50 in any of the nine T20Is in which he participated.

Despite having a nightmare day with the ball, young Arshdeep Singh set a new world record by delivering five front-foot no-balls in the previous match, but Jaffer stated there was no need to make any changes to the bowling line-up.’