Has Shubman Gill done enough to earn a T20I recall ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

Gill's Gujarat Titans did quite the unthinkable on Friday night when they stunned overwhelming favourites Rajasthan Royals -- all thanks to teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi -- in the second qualifier of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the New Chandigarh Stadium as they comfortably chased down 215 to set up the final showdown with Rajat Patidar's Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Also Read: Egoless, circumspect, quick-learning Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shows the world he is more than ready for internationals

The last few months have not been exactly great for Gill, India's Test and ODI captain. Last year, when he was promoted ahead of Sanju Samson, there was plenty of hue and cry in the media. The only way he could have stopped those doubts was through performances but sadly for him, he couldn't come up with a nice streak of runs. In the Asia Cup, he was part of the team that lifted the trophy; however, his runs and strike rate were not good enough. Since months before Gill's promotion, Samson had done well as an opener, many didn't like the Punjab batsman getting preferential treatment.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar were heavily criticised for propagating Gill's cause at Samson's expense. There were whispers in the media that the team management wanted Gill as T20I captain too, and that's why he was getting those opportunities so he could prove he was top of the line.

The five-T20 series in Australia was where Gill failed one more time. Having also failed in the preceding three ODIs had added fuel to the fire. One last opportunity for him came at home against South Africa but he went from bad to worse in the three matches he played. The team management couldn't help him anymore, and later, he was dropped from the next home series against New Zealand as well as the T20 World Cup, where Sanju Samson stamped his authority as an opener and played three world-class innings to help India defend their title.

This IPL season, Gill has done very well with 722 runs at an average of 48.13 and a strike rate of 163.72. Last night, he played some exquisite shots to score his first century of IPL 2026. His innings of 104 off 53 balls was a clinic by all means. He hit 15 fours and three sixes.

Impressive numbers for sure. However, there are two problems that can get in the way of his returning to the shortest international format. For one thing, his strike rate is quite low for an opener these days. Then he hit just three sixes. There is enough evidence to prove that one can't be a top-notch T20 batter in today's cricket, if they don't tick those two boxes of strike rate and the number of sixes.

Tough competition for Shubman Gill!

Let's look at who all he is competing with for a slot in the national team. Abhishek Sharma. He needs no introduction. Then there is Samson who is irreplaceable at present after what he did at the T20 World Cup. And to make matters worse for Gill, there is a new name in the fray: 15-year-old Sooryavanshi. The Bihar batsman has scored 776 runs in 16 games with an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.11.

Wait for this piece of information... Sooryavanshi has also hit 72 sixes, the highest ever in an IPL season. The youngest List A century-maker in world cricket left West Indies legend Chris Gayle behind a few days ago. In 15 matches, Gill has hit just 33 sixes.

Clearly, both batsmen don't compare on those two parameters. So, if the selectors have to pick one of them, who do you think they should pick? The answer is easy. Doesn't require any great thinking!

To sum it up, Gill still lacks the requirements for an ultra-modern T20I opener. IPL numbers can sometimes lead one to believe that a player is so much better than he really is. In the Indian league, there are batting-friendly wickets and small boundaries. Then there are always a couple of weak links in the opposition bowling. At the international level, it's totally different.

Gill is definitely good. No questioning him on that front. However, is he good enough to be back in the T20I team? No. There can't be a simpler reply. For now, India don't need to look beyond Abhishek, Samson and Sooryavanshi.

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