Who can replace Virat Kohli between Gill and Gaikwad? Robin Uthappa answers

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Ever since the retirement of star India batter Virat Kohli, there has been widespread discussions around who could be his possible replacement. Youngsters Shubman Gill and Rituraj Gaikwad have risen as potential candidates with their marvellous stroke play.

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has weighed in his opinion regarding the matter and said that the management should look to keep both in the playing XI given their massive talent. However, he feels that Ruturaj is a bit more consistent than Gill but also mentioned Gill’s perfect mixture of elegance and power.

 

“Why can’t we have both of them because they’re just good players. Their numbers speak for itself, both have phenomenal numbers in T20 cricket. You can’t pick between the two. If we look at consistency, you will see that Ruturaj is a little more consistent as far as numbers are concerned. But Shubman Gill gives you the versatility of having touch and power as well,” said on Sony Sports Network.

“It’s hard to pick between the two of them, ideally you would like to have both of them to play and why shouldn’t India have both of them play is what I’m asking because both of them are all format players,” Uthappa added.

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Russell Arnold who was also on the panel chose Gill to be Kohli’s ideal replacement due to his ability to change gears whenever he wants.

“I will go for Shubman Gill because I feel there’s lot of solidity about him. The players around him have flair and the he can change gears whenever he wishes. He’s a different type of player to the rest of the Indian players not power cricket but he will get it into different areas,” said Arnold on Sony Sports Network.

A look at Gill and Gaikwad’s numbers

In the 20 T20I matches played so far, Gill has scored 539 runs at an average of 29.94 and a strike rate of 142.59. The 24-year-old has one hundred and three fifties to his name with the highest score of 126*. On the other hand, Gaikwad has 633 runs to his name from 20 innings in his T20I career at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.53 with one hundred and four fifties.

Notably, Gaikwad failed to find a spot in the T20I side for the ongoing Sri Lanka series despite his phenomenal performance in the shortest format since 2023. He has scored 498 runs from his last 12 innings at an average of 62.25 and a strike rate of 150 with one hundred and three fifties.

With both players having just begun their careers in international cricket, it will be interesting to see who stands the test of time to emerge as the next big thing in the format after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.