India’s young sensational batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has ignited a firestorm in the cricket world with his aggressive batting style coordinated with consistency in Tests and T20 Internationals (T20Is) since his debut in July 2023.
The 23-year-old has grabbed the selectors’ attention, especially after a spectacular performance on the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia.
Surprisingly, the Southpaw is expected to mark his One-Day Internationals (ODI) debut yet. However, there are increasing loud cheers for the rising star to replace Shubman Gill as the team’s opener alongside the captain Rohit Sharma for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
As India will be playing all their matches of CT25 in the U.A.E., the flat tracks will be a feast for the left-handed in-form batter to tear apart the opposition’s bowling attacks.
Moreover, there are suggestions to implement bold changes in Team India’s squad due to their recent disappointing results in tests and ODIs. The latest reports suggest that Jaiswal is in the process of securing his spot in India’s 50-over squad ahead of the England series and the official announcement will be made on January 12.
It is a fact to accept that Gill has performed well in ODIs. But six main reasons tempt the national selectors to prefer Yashasvi Jaiswal as a better option than Shubman Gill in ODIs, particularly for the Champions Trophy 2025. Let’s delve deeper to find out the reasons by making a comparison between these two batters.
1. Right Hand and Left Hand Opening Combination
Rohit Sharma is a right-handed batter and the inclusion of a left-handed batter like Yashasvi Jaiswal can be a huge boon for India. Also, the duo can easily maintain consistent partnerships as the right-left-hand batting combination makes it challenging for bowlers to frequently adjust their lines and lengths.
Most importantly, the strike rotation makes it difficult for the opponent team captain to maintain a perfectly set field position.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill being a right-handed batter wouldn’t produce many variations in the opening combination. Furthermore, several right-handers would subsequently bat in the order such as Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul.
The presence of a left-hander at the top order could be advantageous for India. Earlier, the former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan being a left-handed batter proved to be a successful opening pair alongside Rohit Sharma. Possibly, the Rohit- Jaiswal combination could once again recreate the incredible moments by turning back the clock to the earlier days of Hitman-Gabbar’s successful opening partnership in white-ball cricket.
2. Fearless Batting Style
Yashasvi Jaiswal fits perfectly into the requirements of modern-day white ball cricket with his proven ability to attempt big shots right from the start of the innings. Regardless of the team’s quick fall of wickets, the young batter never compromises with his batting style and keeps the scoreboard ticking executing perfection in his strokes.
If India is planning for an aggressive approach, then Rohit and Yashasvi can prove to be one of the most destructive opening pairs in the powerplay overs. This is because both these batters take less time to settle on the crease and accumulate runs instantly.
In contrast, Shubman Gill requires more time to get set by playing more dot balls, and his composed batting style might slow down Rohit’s aggression and limit his ability to take advantage of field restrictions in powerplay overs.
3. Recent Form Across All Formats in International Cricket
Here is a comparison of runs scored by Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Shubman Gill across the formats in international cricket in 2024:
| Player | Overall Runs Scored Across Formats in 2024 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 1699 Runs in 37 Innings (Tests: 1,478, T20Is: 221) |
| Shubman Gill | 1189 Runs in 33 Innings (Tests: 866, T20Is: 266 and ODIs: 57) |
4. Jaiswal vs Gill Record in List A Cricket
Despite playing few domestic 50-over format matches, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s average has been better in the List A competitions than Shubman Gill and here is a detailed comparison:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Best Score | 100s | 50s |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 32 matches | 1,511 runs in 32 innings | 53.96 | 86.19 | 203 | 5 | 7 |
| Shubman Gill | 102 matches | 4,592 runs in 101 innings | 52.18 | 94.89 | 208 | 12 | 24 |
5. India’s Top Run Scorer of the Year 2024 in Test Cricket
Yashasvi Jaiswal has evolved stronger as he maintained his red-hot form in 2024 and ranks as India’s leading run scorer of the year in tests. Also, he was the second-highest scorer of 2024 in tests behind England batter Joe Root (1,556 runs in 31 innings).
Inspired by England’s Bazball approach, the young cricketer’s Jazball show ranked him as the second batter to accumulate the most runs for India in a single calendar year in tests, with Sachin Tendulkar retaining the leading spot:
| Batsman | Year | Runs | Innings | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2010 | 1,562 | 23 | 78.10 | 7 | 5 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 2024 | 1,478 | 29 | 54.74 | 3 | 9 |
| Virender Sehwag | 2008 | 1.462 | 27 | 56.23 | 3 | 6 |
| 2010 | 1.422 | 25 | 61.82 | 5 | 8 | |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 1979 | 1.407 | 26 | 54.11 | 3 | 5 |
In comparison, Shubman Gill hasn’t even managed to reach the 1,000-run mark in 2024 and scored 866 runs in 22 test innings, including 3 centuries and half centuries each.
6. Confidence Matters a Lot
Yashasvi Jaiswal boasts high confidence by refining his approach against different bowling attacks, particularly in the BGT 2024–25 scoring 391 runs in 5 innings and maintaining his peak form. On the other side, Shubman Gill is low with confidence due to his struggling form against Sri Lanka in the 3-match ODI series in 2024 scoring just 57 runs. Whereas in the 5-match test series against Australia, he surrendered by concluding with 93 runs in 5 innings.
As players’ confidence plays a crucial role in high-profile tournaments like the Champions Trophy, Jaiswal emerges as the front-runner rather than Gill.