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Yashasvi Jaiswal Better Than Shubman Gill? Former CSK Player Thinks So
Follow UsAcross the last three IPL seasons, Jaiswal's powerplay strike rate of 169.5 comfortably outshines Gill’s 143.2
Former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stalwart Subramaniam Badrinath has welcomed Shubman Gill’s return to India’s T20I set-up for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE (starting September 9), but also questioned the omission of in-form batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan.
Gill has been in sensational form of late. In the IPL, the Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper amassed 650 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.88, guiding his team to the playoffs. Soon after, in his first major assignment as India’s Test captain, Gill impressed further, scoring 754 runs at 75.40 in a four-match series in England and leading India to a 2-2 draw.
However, questions remain about India’s selection call, as Gill’s own GT teammate Sai Sudharsan was the leading run-scorer in IPL 2025, piling up 759 runs at 54.21 with a strike rate of 156.17. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal also produced numbers that were hard to ignore, scoring 559 runs at 43.00 with a blistering strike rate of 159.70, while dominating the powerplay like very few others.
Jaiswal was exceptional at the top, hammering 369 runs at an average of 61.50 and a strike rate of 177.40 in the first six overs. Across the last three IPL seasons, his powerplay strike rate of 169.5 comfortably outshines Gill’s 143.2.
Sharing his views on his YouTube channel, Badrinath said: “I see this mostly as a positive that they are backing a youngster and projecting him for the future. But what about Yashasvi Jaiswal? He has done even better than Shubman Gill. Also, why has Sai Sudharsan missed out after scoring 700 runs in IPL 2025 and performing better than Shubman Gill? Sanju Samson himself is now in doubt to start in the playing 11.
“So while backing Shubman Gill, you ask what wrong have Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan done when their numbers are better than Gill’s. It’s not a bad decision but one that’s 50-50.”
India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, and will open their campaign against the UAE on September 10. Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.