Former England captain Eoin Morgan has made a bold statement about the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean islands and the United States in June. Eoin Morgan stated that he would pick his former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate Shubman Gill instead of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the World Cup squad.
Shubman Gill failed to make the 15-member squad for the World Cup despite being a regular member of the Indian team for the past few months. Yashasvi Jaiswal was preferred over Gill as the Indian team’s opener. However, the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain has been named among the reserve players for the ICC event.
Shubman failed to guide the Titans to the playoffs in his debut season as IPL captain. He scored 426 runs in 12 matches at an average of 38.73 and a strike rate of 147.40, with two fifties and a century. The right-handed batsman is the second highest run-getter for the Titans in the recently concluded IPL season.
I would have Shubman Gill over Yashasvi Jaiswal – Eoin Morgan
During a podcast on Sky Sports with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, Eoin Morgan stated that Shubman Gill would have been a better option than Yashasvi Jaiswal for the World Cup. Morgan described Gill as a future leader, considering his experience playing alongside Gill for the Knight Riders.
“The only decision I would have made differently and if I was selecting the team, I would choose Shubman Gill over Yashasvi Jaiswal. I have played alongside him, I know how he thinks. I know how it works,” Morgan said.
“I feel that he is a future leader within that team and I think that in the big moments, in the World Cups, the more leaders, the better. Even if he is sitting on the sidelines, you still need inspiration from here and there, a sense of positivity.” he added.
Yashasvi Jaiswal amassed 435 runs in 15 innings at an average of 31.07 and a strike rate of 155.91, including one and a half centuries. However, Rajasthan Royals suffered a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 2 match. The Sanju Samson-led team failed to make it to the last match of the season.
The strongest side even with injuries – Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan selected India as “favourites” to win the T20 World Cup, expressing confidence that India’s quality players could outclass any opponent in the tournament.
“The strongest team, even with injuries throughout the tournament, is India. His strength and depth is absolutely incredible. And it is almost likely that we are talking about who were the players who were left out of their squad of 15 because of the quality they possess.” Morgan stated.
“For me they are favorites, the quality they have on paper, if they produce it, I think they can beat anyone pretty well in the tournament.” he added.
India last won the ICC Trophy in 2013 under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Since then, the Men in Blue have reached the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023 and the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019. In the T20 World Cups, they reached the final in 2014 and the semi-finals in 2016 and 2022.
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