"There is inconsistency when it comes to Shubman Gill's T20I numbers" - Aakash Chopra highlights opening batter's recent woes 

Aakash Chopra has spoken about Shubman Gill's concerning numbers when it comes to T20Is. The young opening batter had a resounding 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, winning the Orange Cap for scoring 890 runs at an average of 60 for the Gujarat Titans.

He made his T20I debut before the IPL season and scored his maiden T20I hundred against New Zealand. He also smashed a match-winning 77 in the fourth T20I against the West Indies in July, but the rest of his T20I career has been well below par.

Even in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, Gill recorded scores of 0 and 8 and was dismissed LBW in both matches.

"There is inconsistency when it comes to Shubman Gill's T20I numbers. There are 1-2 big knocks, but around it there is nothing but low scores. Also, against left-arm spin, it seems like there is an issue for him. To my understanding, he is trapped by the left-arm spinners inside the powerplay," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

In the third game in Johannesburg on Thursday, Gill was trapped LBW by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj in the third over while trying to attempt a sweep shot. However, replays later showed that the youngster would have survived if he had taken a review since the ball was missing the stumps.

Maharaj struck off his next delivery as well, dismissing Tilak Varma for a golden duck.

"Tilak Varma is missing opportunities. He will have to be careful, because his Ireland series was not good, and even here he is missing out while batting at No.3. Against Australia, he had to bat a little down the order. No. 3 is already a difficult place to hold because it is still Kohli's. I think that both Rohit and Kohli will play in the 2024 T20 World Cup," Chopra added.

Tilak had made a promising start to his career by finishing as India's leading run-scorer in the T20I series against the West Indies. The southpaw has not been among the runs since then, with only a fifty against Bangladesh in the 2023 Asian Games being noteworthy in the time frame.

---

"Jitesh Sharma is kind of a frontrunner, but not a frontrunner" - Aakash Chopra

Jitesh Sharma was Team India's wicketkeeper batter for the T20I series against South Africa. He could not make much of an impression with the bat, scoring only five runs across two matches.

Jitesh lost his wicket in the series finale as a result of a rare hit wicket dismissal. He, however, was proficient in his role as a finisher in the latter stages of the home T20I series against Australia right after the ODI World Cup.

"Jitesh Sharma has also missed out on opportunities in a way, but he bats down the order. If he does not do it, then there will be someone else who will be ready. Maybe Rishabh Pant after he is fully fit or KL Rahul or Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan," Chopra said,

"Maybe not Ishan Kishan, because he does not play down the order much. Maybe if Samson bats at No.5 for RR, then he has a chance, but I don't think it will happen. So, Jitesh Sharma is kind of a frontrunner, but not a frontrunner," he concluded.

Who will be Team India's first-choice wicketkeeper for the 2024 T20 World Cup? Let us know what you think.