"Shubman not scoring in that match is a problem" - Aakash Chopra's blunt criticism of Gill amid IND vs SA 2025 series

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra recently commented on the chatter around Shubman Gill's place in India's T20I team. He opined that the opener's flop show in the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan should concern the Men in Blue.

The cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that Gill's role in India's T20I team is to play steadily, especially while chasing 150-odd totals. He noted that the 26-year-old's job becomes crucial in such games, as most batters around him are hitters.

Gill was dismissed for 12 runs off 10 balls when India were chasing a 147-run target in the 2025 Asia Cup final. Speaking about his failure in the crucial contest, Chopra said on journalist Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel:

"Shubman Gill was being prepared for a 150-run match, like the 2025 Asia Cup final. Shubman not scoring runs in that match is a problem. I am not that bothered by what happens around it because he has been hired for that one job. All the others are strokemakers; they don't have another gear, but you have."

Gill was named as the vice-captain for the 2025 Asia Cup. Chopra remarked that the Indian think tank was keen to back the 26-year-old in the format, keeping the ICC events in mind.

He elaborated:

"If you look at multi-nation tournaments, the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Asia Cup, you won't find 200-plus scores. You talk about 250-300 in bilaterals, but a team rarely does that in an ICC event because everyone plays with fear.

"The approach of playing differently and hitting sixes is there. But when an ICC event comes, everyone wants a safety-first approach. India have assembled so many strikers that either they will score 225 or 125. You are no longer playing in the middle; it's either this end or that end. So, the investment in Gill is to cover that middle part."

Chopra also pointed out that the Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper has proved his mettle in T20 cricket over the last few years. Highlighting the batter's wonderful performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he added:

"He has scored runs in the IPL; it's not like he is not a T20 player. If you look at his last three IPL seasons, one was a Virat Kohli-esque season, where he made his team win by hitting hundreds. 2024 was not that good, but 2023 was outstanding; it seemed like he would break Virat Kohli's record. Sai Sudharsan was the leading run-scorer in 2025, but he too scored a lot of runs. So, it's not like he doesn't have T20 credentials. He has already scored hundreds for India in all three formats."

Meanwhile, India trumped Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup final. Tilak Varma's unbeaten 69 off 53 balls helped the team seal victory in the last-over thriller.

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"He will go ahead of Kohli in the total number of runs" - Aakash Chopra's big prediction for Shubman Gill

During the interview, Aakash Chopra made a big prediction about Shubman Gill's ODI career. He reckoned that if the talented batter played the same number of ODIs as former captain Virat Kohli, he could overtake his tally of runs in the format.

He said:

"Let's wait and watch. I feel that if he plays the same number of ODIs that Virat Kohli has, he will go ahead of Kohli in the total number of runs."

Gill sustained a neck injury while batting in India's recently concluded Test series opener against South Africa in Kolkata. It remains to be seen if India's Test skipper will take part in the remaining second Test or not. The match will be played in Guwahati from Saturday, November 22.