Shubman Gill is a long-format player, T20 cricket is not ideal for him: Aakash Chopra

Former India cricketer and expert- Aakash Chopra believes that Shubman Gill's style of play is more suited to the longer formats of the game, not for the T20Is. Gill made his T20I debut on Wednesday, January 3, when India and Sri Lanka locked horns in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The promising opener was removed for 7 by Maheesh Theekshana after failing to score significantly on the pivotal occasion. He opened India’s batting in the first innings alongside wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, but could not leave a significant impact in the game and had to find his way back to the pavilion within the powerplay itself.

Gill, who has already participated in 15 ODIs and 13 Test matches for India, had to wait a long time before finally earning his T20I debut. Chopra criticized Shubman's approach to batting in the shorter format and stated that the upcoming games will be extremely important for him.

“I feel these are very important matches for Shubman Gill. You might say that he just made his debut and you are saying that these are important games. They are important because I am willing to put my hand up and say that when I see Shubman Gill, I see him as a long-format player. The way he plays, T20 cricket is not ideal for him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel ahead of the second T20I.

He will have to prove naysayers like me wrong: Chopra

For the past few years, Gill has accompanied India's Test and ODI teams on their tours. Many consider him to be the upcoming star of Indian cricket. Within the limited chances that he got, he managed to play some significant innings for the Indian side. Furthermore, Chopra praised Gill's prowess in longer formats, saying that he has the potential to even captain Team India in Tests and One-Day Internationals in the future.

“I see him playing Test cricket for India for many years, he might become the captain as well. He will play ODI cricket for India for many years. He might eventually become the captain there as well. So he (Gill) has just made his debut but he will have to make the best of his opportunities. He will have to prove naysayers like me wrong. Ishan Kishan is batting well, so I will not say anything to him. Suryakumar Yadav got out once, will not get out every time,” Chopra added.

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