Since 2023, he has been the third-leading run-getter in the format and highest among Indians in this format, scoring 1641 runs at an average of 58.60 and a strike rate of 102.88 in 32 outings.
While Virat Kohli’s absence from the first ODI in Nagpur remains a major talking point, Shubman Gill’s batting position on the team sheet is a notable talking point. He walked in at No.3 today with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the innings, but that might not happen when Virat Kohli returns.
Gill has been among the most consistent ODI batters in the last few years and sealed his position in the ODI side.
However, his best has come at the top when he opened the innings and gets a full opportunity to pace his innings. That’s where he has been a beast and miles ahead of most openers.
Since 2023, he has been the third-leading run-getter in the format and highest among Indians in this format, scoring 1641 runs at an average of 58.60 and a strike rate of 102.88 in 32 outings. Further, Gill has hit nine fifties and five centuries.
Shubman Gill has been marvellous at the top, scoring 2149 runs at an average of 59.69 and a strike rate of 101.12 in 43 innings as an opener. He also has 13 fifties and five centuries while opening.
Among all openers to have batted at least 40 innings as an opener, Gill’s average is the second-best, only behind Shai Hope’s 60.74. However, Hope has batted at a strike rate of a mere 79.31, which is quite low compared to Gill.
91.48% of his innings have been as an opener, and he has scored 92.31% of runs at this position. He knows how to build an ODI innings better than many batters, and that’s why India has preferred him over everyone else in the post-Shikhar Dhawan era.
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Virat Kohli’s exclusion from the first ODI might allow India to experiment and change a few batting positions. They slotted in Gill at No.3 and Shreyas Iyer at No.4, but when Kohli is back that may not be the case.
Pushing Gill into the middle-order will allow India to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top with Rohit Sharma. Once Kohli returns, he will automatically take the No.3 slot, while Gill might continue at No.4, leaving no place for Iyer.
While that might be harsh on Iyer, India might be tempted to make this move to place Jaiswal in the XI and maximise his form. Given how good he has been in the other two formats, the temptation to have Jaiswal in ODIs is understandable, especially for a major tournament.
Despite his obvious weakness, Shreyas Iyer has scored runs consistently and aced that No.4 position. He has 1397 runs at an average of 51.74 and a 101.74 strike rate in 33 outings, including eight fifties and four centuries, at No.4.
Among all the batters to have batted in at least 20 innings at No.4, Iyer has the highest average (58.37) and strike rate (103.89) since 2022. He continued his tremendous form in the World Cup 2023 and played several crucial knocks in crunch situations.
India’s search for a quality No.4 ended with his superior consistency, and Iyer has done nothing wrong to get dropped. But India would need to be realistic and bold enough to take those tough calls, even if that involves dropping Iyer.
The next World Cup is in South Africa, where the decks are naturally bouncier and quicker. So, teams need solid backfoot batters who can thwack hard lengths without getting cramped because the opponent will have an additional pacer in their XIs.
Unfortunately, Iyer is not among the best backfoot players, and his issues against shorter-length deliveries are too glaring to ignore. While he can manage on most decks, his method might not work in the Rainbow Nation.
Meanwhile, Gill brings that authority against shorter-length deliveries against pacers and naturally enjoys bouncy decks. He has had ample success on such surfaces and has higher chances of succeeding than Iyer in South Africa.
So, planning must start quickly, and the management should check Gill’s performance in a new position. If they plan early and the move doesn’t work, India can always revert to his original batting position because Rohit Sharma won’t play beyond the World Cup 2027.
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