Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa reckons that both Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad could feature in the playing XI instead of one. Recently, when the BCCI named the squad for Sri Lanka tour, Ruturaj Gaikwad was overlooked in both squads.

Robin UthappaOn the other side of the coin, Shubman Gill was named the vice-captain of both formats. Team India clinched the T20 World Cup 2024 title recently. After the title triumph, senior duo, such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is.

Their retirement from the format opened up chances for the youngsters to showcase their mettle and cement their spot. Meanwhile, Uthappa, while speaking to Sony Sports Network after India's victory in the second T20I against Sri Lanka, asked why Gaikwad and Gill could not be a part of the playing XI instead of just one player.

"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 told the broadcaster.

"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," the former Indian opener added.

Shubman Gill hasn't had the best of starts to his T20I career where he scored 539 runs in 20 T20Is including 1 century and three fifties at an average of 29.9. On the other hand, Ruturaj Gaikwad edges Shubman Gill in T20Is, scoring 633 runs at an average of 39.6, including 1 century and 4 fifties.