"Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan should be your permanent openers in T20Is" - Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes the Men in Blue must lock Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan as their new opening pair in the build-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup.

There has been a lot of talk about how the selectors have overlooked Shaw, despite some explosive performances from the youngster in domestic cricket. However, when the Mumbai opener smashed a record 379 recently in the Ranji Trophy, it became almost impossible for anyone to overlook his performances.

Speaking to Star Sports, here's what Gautam Gambhir had to say about Shaw's selection in India's T20I squad against New Zealand:

“He shouldn’t have been out anyway as whenever he has got an opportunity, he has given India that kind of an explosive start. He is the right guy. He, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav perfectly fit the template India keep talking about. Shubman Gill needs to concentrate on Test and ODI cricket. Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan should be your permanent openers in T20Is."

Don't judge Prithvi Shaw by every series: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir also opined that India should give Shaw a long rope, irrespective of how he performs in the T20I series against New Zealand. Gambhir feels that it is important to instill trust in the young opener, with the bigger picture being the 2024 T20 World Cup.

On this, the former cricketer stated:

"Now that you have picked Shaw, persist with him. Don’t judge him by every series. He is young, he is explosive and he is a match-winner. So pick him in the playing XI and give him a longer run."

India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.