Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal: Who should be India’s backup opener for Asia Cup? Kaif answers
by Ansh Athani · Inside Sport IndiaGill scored more runs at a better average than Jaiswal in IPL 2025 but the latter outdid the former when it came to strike rate.
It seems like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson will be India’s openers for the Asia Cup 2025. The selector isn’t keen on replacing either of them. This means only one of Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the backup opener at the multi-nation tournament, which kicks off on September 9.
But which of the two should be picked for the Asia Cup is the question. If we look at their T20I performance, Jaiswal is ahead by quite some distance. Overall, the Indian Premier League (IPL) numbers also place Gill second.
However, in the 2025 season, we saw that there wasn’t much difference between them. Both struck in the 150s, but Gill scored 91 more runs and had a better average after playing just 1 extra game.
Shubman Gill & Yashasvi Jaiswal T20I stat comparison
| Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gill | 21 | 578 | 126* | 30.42 | 139.27 | 1 | 3 |
| Jaiswal | 22 | 723 | 100 | 36.15 | 164.31 | 1 | 5 |
One can’t forget that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had named him India’s white-ball vice-captain. That would suggest that Gill is ahead in the pecking order.
Gill over Jaiswal for the Asia Cup
According to former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif, Gill should be picked as India’s third opener for the Asia Cup. He cited Gill’s IPL performance, his leadership skills, and current form (England tour) as the reasons why he should trump Jaiswal.
“Regarding Gill and Jaiswal, only one might make it, and I believe that, considering the way Shubman Gill performed as captain on the England tour, scoring 750 runs, he deserves a spot. Even in the IPL, he (Gill) scored plenty of runs,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
He doesn’t think Gill should play ahead of Samson or Abhishek but should be the next in line to claim that spot. We have seen that Gill has shown more intent and has no qualms playing under pressure, as he now leads the Gujarat Titans as well.
“He might not make the playing XI, but his name should be in the squad as a backup opener,” Kaif added.