'He has not been selected for the Bangladesh tour, why?' - Aakash Chopra questions Shubman Gill's absence

With the senior players returning to the side, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was left unimpressed with Shubman Gill’s exclusion from India's squad that is set to face Bangladesh in three ODIs. Gill has had a fantastic year in the format, having amassed 638 runs in 12 games at an average of 70.88 in ODIs, including one century and four fifties. He scored 108 runs in the three ODIs in New Zealand at an average of 54 and has been in great form.  

However, the management decided to go with senior batters Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the Bangladesh series and as a reault, Gill could not find a place in the squad. Also, the decision to include wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan ahead of in-form Sanju Samson for the Bangladesh tour raised a lot of eyebrows. 

Gill doesn’t need workload management at all: Aakash Chopra 

Chopra felt that Gill has been in good form and noted that he doesn’t need much rest as the youngster wasn’t part of the T20 World Cup squad either. He further questioned the non-selection of Gill for the Bangladesh series and wondered if there is any logic behind leaving the 23-year-old out.

"Shubman Gill is performing really well. He wasn't a part of the T20 World Cup. So he's not tired at all. He doesn't need workload management at all but he has not been selected for the Bangladesh tour. But why? He isn't doing anything wrong. And if you think you can't select him even after doing well then don't select him in the first place because it defies logic," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. 

During the ODI series, all eyes will be on Rishabh Pant, who is under scrutiny for not being able to do well for India of late. His form in the white-ball games has deteriorated, but the team and management continues to back him. It will be interesting to see what new strategies he has in mind while facing Bangladesh. India lock horns with Bangladesh in the first ODI on December 4 at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.