Robin Uthappa addresses Shubman Gill versus Ruturaj Gaikwad debate

Since Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20I cricket last month, fans have been eager to see who will fill his shoes as India's next star batter. Robin Uthappa, a member of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team, believes Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad are strong candidates to take on this role.

India has been fortunate to have legendary batters like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli. With Kohli stepping down from T20Is, fans are looking for the next big names in Indian cricket. Shubman and Ruturaj are emerging as top choices due to their exceptional skills.

Uthappa praised Ruturaj for his consistency and Shubman for his ability to blend touch 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,” Uthappa said.

“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,” he further added.

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russell Arnold also weighed in, favoring Shubman as Kohli's ideal replacement. Arnold noted Shubman’s ability to change gears and his solid playing style. 

“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,” Arnold said.

Shubman, recently appointed as India’s vice-captain in white-ball cricket, has scored 539 runs in 20 T20Is at an average of 29.94 and a strike rate of 142.59. Meanwhile, Ruturaj, who wasn’t part of the current tour, has accumulated 633 runs from 20 T20I innings at an average of 39.56 and a strike rate of 143.54.