'Against left-arm spin, it seems like there is an issue for Shubman Gill' - Aakash Chopra highlights Gill's weakness in T20Is

India avoided a T20I series loss against South Africa as they defeated Aiden Markram's men in the third game by 106 runs on Thursday, December 14, in Johannesburg. By virtue of this result, the series finished 1-1.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra analysed the performances of some of the Indian players involved in the series. Speaking about talented opener Shubman Gill, the cricketer-turned-commentator stated that there could be a problem with his technique against left-arm spinners.

Shubman was dismissed LBW in both games for 0 and 8, respectively. In the third T20I, he tried to sweep Keshav Maharaj but was struck on his pads and given out almost instantly by the on-field umpire. Later, replays showed that he would have survived had he gone for a review as the ball was missing the stumps.

"There is inconsistency when it comes to Shubman Gill's T20I numbers. There are 1-2 big knocks, but around it there is nothing but low scores. Also, against left-arm spin, it seems like there is an issue for him. To my understanding, he is trapped by the left-arm spinners inside the powerplay," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Shubman made his T20I debut earlier this year and scored his maiden ton in the format against New Zealand. He went on to win the orange cap in the Indian Premier League, amassing 890 runs at an average of 60 for the Gujarat Titans. Gill also scored a half-century against the West Indies but hasn't been able to do well consistently in the shortest format of the game.

Tilak Varma is missing opportunities: Aakash Chopra

Chopra also mentioned that Tilak Varma, who batted at No. 3 in the series against South Africa and registered scores of 29 and 0, missed out on a huge opportunity.

"Tilak Varma is missing opportunities. He will have to be careful, because his Ireland series was not good, and even here he is missing out while batting at No.3. Against Australia, he had to bat a little down the order. No. 3 is already a difficult place to hold because it is still Kohli's. I think that both Rohit and Kohli will play in the 2024 T20 World Cup," Chopra added.

The southpaw started his international career with an impressive performance in the Caribbean. He finished as India's highest run-getter in the five-match series, scoring 173 runs in five innings at an average of 57.67. However, in the subsequent 10 games, he has just managed 137 runs.

Chopra also spoke about Indian wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma. The 30-year-old played some impressive cameos against Australia in the home T20I series after the ODI World Cup 2023. However, he couldn't get going in the Rainbow Nation as he scored just five runs in the two T20Is. The 46-year-old said that Jitesh missed out on an opportunity to solidify his position in the team. Chopra mentioned that the likes of KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are waiting in the wings for a chance to return to the T20I setup.

"Jitesh Sharma has also missed out on opportunities in a way, but he bats down the order. If he does not do it, then there will be someone else who will be ready. Maybe Rishabh Pant after he is fully fit or KL Rahul or Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan," Chopra said.

"Maybe not Ishan Kishan, because he does not play down the order much. Maybe if Samson bats at No.5 for RR, then he has a chance, but I don't think it will happen. So, Jitesh Sharma is kind of a frontrunner, but not a frontrunner," he concluded.