IND vs SA: Shubman Gill to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal for 1st T20I in Durban?

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IND vs SA: India are set to play their first of the six T20I matches ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday, December 10.

There is selection headaches already for the management as Shubman Gill has returned to the T20I setup for the first time after the West Indies T20I series in August.

With Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal doing well in the preceding T20I series against Australia, will Shubman Gill get a place in the India playing eleven for the 1st T20I against South Africa straightaway?

The crowned 'Prince' of Indian cricket should ideally wait but he is expected to get straight into the eleven. He has grown in stature massively in the last couple of years, and his recent appointment as the captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) is a testament of it.

Therefore, the bigger question in this case is - Who will Shubman Gill replace - Ruturaj Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal? Gaikwad, who led the Indian team to Asian Games gold in China, hit 223 runs in 5 matches in the 5-match T20I series against Australia. Gaikwad was appointed the team's vice-captain for the first three matches. A scintillating hundred also came off his bat in the series.

On the other hand, Yashasvi Jaiswal accumulated 138 runs in 5 matches at a stunning strike rate of close to 170. The southpaw reminded of the role played by Rohit Sharma in the World Cup 2023. He was ruthless and selfless in his approach.

The Gaikwad-Jaiswal opening combination should be left untouched, however, one will most likely have to make for Shubman Gill who was dismissed for four in the World Cup 2023 final.

The inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal gives India the privilege to see the favoured left-hand, right-hand opening pair at the top. Gaikwad and Gill have similar approaches. They don't attack from the ball and take charge only after settling in.

The management has a tough choice to make, and fans would eagerly be waiting for the toss where captain Suryakumar Yadav will reveal India's playing eleven for the first T20I against South Africa.

India T20I Squad for South Africa T20Is

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar