Shubman Gill or Ruturaj Gaikwad - who should India pick for 1st T20I vs South Africa?

Team India are scheduled to face South Africa in a three-match T20I series beginning on Sunday, December 10. The series comes of great importance as it continues India's preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Much like the recently concluded home T20I series against Australia, the side will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. The selection debate for the upcoming series against the Proteas will be trickier considering that some of the star players like Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja have made their way back in.

Gill's return certainly changes the dynamic at the top of the order for India. The left-hand-right-hand combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad was a constant feature in the series against Australia.

With Team India looking to continue the left-hand-right-hand combination, and the aggressive approach displayed by Jaiswal, he is certain to retain his place in the playing XI. This leaves the selection call down to Gill and Gaikwad to partner Jaiswal at the top of the order.

Gill and Jaiswal had opened the batting together on the tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, which was also the latter's maiden outing in international cricket. Gaikwad, on the other hand, has made a resurgence following a shaky start to his career in national colors.

Both Gill and Gaikwad present an excellent case to mark their presence at the top of the order, and on that note, let us take a look at who should India pick for the first T20I vs South Africa as Jaiswal's batting partner.

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#1 Form

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill have had landmark years in the shortest format of the game. Both batters scored their maiden T20I hundreds in 2023, and have been among the runs as well.

Gaikwad played a huge role in CSK's fifth-title win in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), while Gill ended up scoring 890 runs at a strike rate of 157.80 and winning the Orange Cap in the process. Both batters have ramped up their scoring rate to a certain degree considering the aggressive approach that the format demands, more so than ever.

As far as their recent form is concerned, Gaikwad was the leading run-scorer in Team India's 4-1 triumph against Australia. He scored 223 runs at a strike rate of 160, which included a hundred in the third T20I in Guwahati.

Gill, on the other hand, had a relatively solid ODI World Cup campaign after missing the initial set of matches. He looked in good touch, climbing to the top of the ODI rankings summit, and has also translated his form into the shortest format as well.

The opening batter's last T20I assignment came against West Indies in July 2023, where he had a lackluster series in general. He scored a well-compiled 77 in Team India's win in the fourth T20I which included an opening partnership of 165 with Jaiswal. However, Gill ended up with only 102 runs in the series at an average of 20.40.

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#2 Compatability

The recent set of T20I assignments has shown that Jaiswal is compatible with both Gaikwad and Gill at the top as he goes about his aggressive batting style. The duo of Jaiswal and Gaikwad were prolific and complemented each other well in the 2023 Asian Games as well as the T20I series against Australia.

Barring their run-out mishap in the series opener against Australia, the pair have hardly put a foot wrong so far. Gaikwad presents himself as the perfect partner for Jaiswal, and as fate would have it, the closest thing to Gaikwad that Team India have in their mix is arguably Gill.

The duo are technically very strong, and are proficient against both pace and spin. Both are known to take their time at the crease initially and accelerate as the innings progresses.

As a result, Team India really cannot go wrong here, as both batters have already shown why they deserve a place in the first-choice playing XI.

The similar batting styles of both players, which are a little pale in aggression when compared to Jaiswal, means that Team India will be golden either way they choose.

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#3 Rotation

Such is the nature of cricket, specifically Indian cricket, that Gaikwad might have to sit out after being the leading run scorer in the preceding series. All part of rotation and experimentation, the Men in Blue will look to hand Gill his chance to prove himself after Gaikwad availed his chance recently.

With only a handful of T20Is remaining until the 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, the management will be keen to award chances to every player in contention for the final squad. Gill certainly fits the billing, especially since his last T20I appearance came almost months ago.

While there is not much to separate between the two, Gill might just make it to the playing XI, with game time being the principal reason more than a tactical one or ability.

Who should open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first T20I against South Africa? Let us know what you think.