Aakash Chopra feels Shubman Gill can keep KL Rahul out of World Cup team

KL Rahul made a return to the Indian team after a scintillating IPL 2018, but he hasn’t been able to replicate those performances at the highest level. Subsequently, the Karnataka batsman also lost his place in the national team in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. The off-field controversies, surrounding chat show Koffee With Karan, didn’t help his cause either.

Rahul’s misery opened the doors for Shubman Gill, who has had a memorable time in the last one year. He was the second highest run-scorer in last year’s U19 World Cup in New Zealand and since then there’s no stopping the Fazilka-born young Turk. He was drafted into the Indian squad for the series against the Black Caps, but he didn’t get to play the first three matches.

Nevertheless, after the visitors won the series, Gill was drafted in the playing eleven at the Seddon Park in Hamilton. The youngster could only score nine runs with one boundary and was nipped out by left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who spewed venom with a five-wicket haul. The 19-year-old would now be keen to get some runs in the fifth and final match at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Following Gill’s foray amongst the big boys, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was delighted. He wrote, “Shubman Gill will make his India debut. Looking forward to seeing him bat. Very promising. Good luck.”

Here is Aakash’s first tweet

Moreover, Chopra believes that Gill might even keep Rahul out of the World Cup team. Replying to his previous tweet, he wrote, “Since Kohli was likely to miss a major part of this NZ tour, Rahul’s exclusion from the set-up puts his spot for WC in serious doubt.” The mega-even in England and Wales is scheduled to get underway on Thursday, May 30.

Here is Chopra’s second tweet

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