Shubman Gill over me on current form, says out-of-favour India opener as 50-over World Cup looms

Out-of-favour India opener Shikhar Dhawan says he would have preferred Shubman Gill over him if he were to select the Indian team for the 50-over World Cup later this year. The veteran of 167 ODIs, Dhawan, said given how well young Gill is performing across two formats at this moment, picking him for the mega event will be in best interest for the Indian team.

Having made his international debut a couple of years back, Gill became a sure-starter in Tests and ODIs following his latest exploits across both formats in the past six months. After scoring his maiden Test hundred against Bangladesh during the away series in December 2022, Gill became the fifth Indian batter to notch a double ton in ODIs against New Zealand in Hyderabad early this year. He then scored two more hundreds in the same series, one in the final ODI and one in the T20I series – his first in that format.

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Speaking during an exclusive chat with Aaj Tak, Dhawan said though he is still eyeing a place in the India team for the World Cup later this year, he is aware of how well Shubman Gill is playing, adding the youngster deserves to get picked ahead of him.

“I feel the way Shubman is (playing). Like he was playing two formats and performing well in Tests and T20s. He was playing more matches in the international circuit and I wasn't... If I were the selector then definitely would have given the chance to Shubman. Would have selected Shubman over Shikhar," Dhawan told Aaj Tak.

Elaborating further on what he thinks about his future in the Indian team, Dhawan revealed Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid did support him after taking over the reins and backed him to fight for his place in the XI.

“When Rohit took over the captaincy, he along with Rahul Dravid backed me enough. They told me they wanted me to focus on my cricket and that my vision should be the next World Cup,” Dhawan added.

Dhawan added the past year was good for him as he was consistent, but when his form dropped, Gill grabbed the chance with both hands and made the most of it. He further admitted that after Ishan Kishan made headlines by scoring his maiden double century in ODIs – the quickest among all, Dhawan feared for his place in the XI.

"2022 was very good for me, I was consistent in ODIs. But there is this young guy who has been doing well in two formats, and when my form dipped in a series or two then they gave a chance to Shubman and he has lived up to their expectation. "We are used to such situation. When Ishan Kishan slammed a double century against Bangladesh, then, for a moment, I thought I could be out of the team," said Dhawan.

The left-handed batter will be seen playing for Punjab Kings in the upcoming edition of IPL 2023, whereas, Gill will open for Gujarat Titans.