3 reasons why Prithvi Shaw should not be part of India's playing XI in the T20I series vs New Zealand

When Team India announced their squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand, Prithvi Shaw's inclusion was one of the major talking points.

The young batter hasn't played for the Men in Blue since July 2021, having fallen out of favor despite a series of promising performances in domestic cricket. But he seems all set to make a splash on his comeback to the side.

There are a few reasons why Shaw is one of the frontrunners to open the batting for India in the upcoming assignment. At the same time, however, a case can be made to keep him on the bench for now.

India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar

Here are three reasons why Prithvi Shaw should not be part of India's playing XI for the T20I series against New Zealand.

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#3 India have rigorously followed the pecking order philosophy

Northamptonshire v India - T20 Tour Match

Fans and experts have been clamoring for Prithvi Shaw's inclusion in the T20I side for a while now, but they might have to wait a bit longer to see him in action.

All the other batters in India's squad have been part of the side in recent series. Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda and Ruturaj Gaikwad are almost white-ball regulars, while Rahul Tripathi made his debut against Sri Lanka and impressed in his second international game.

The only other fresh face in the batting department is Jitesh Sharma, but the wicket-keeper should be behind Kishan in the pecking order and plays a completely different role to that of Shaw. The 23-year-old opener isn't as established as the others on the list, and although his recent T20 performances may have been more exciting, he needs to wait for his turn.

The Men in Blue have stuck to their pecking order philosophy rigorously, and changing it suddenly might not send the right message.

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#2 Prithvi Shaw has blown hot and cold of late

New Zealand v India - ODI: Game 1

Prithvi Shaw recently made headlines for his record-breaking 379 against Assam in the Ranji Trophy, but he has blown hot and cold over the domestic season.

Shaw has notched up just one 50-plus score in the Ranji Trophy apart from his triple ton, with his knocks reading 13, 6, 19, 4, 68, 35, 15, 40 and 16. The form that he displayed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in which he scored 332 runs at an average of 36.88 and a strike rate of 131.52, seems to have dwindled a touch.

It might seem harsh to question Shaw's form based on his scores in red-ball cricket, but it's not easy for modern-day cricketers to switch from format to format at a moment's notice, especially when they're not in great form. Speaking of which...

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#1 Shubman Gill is in red-hot form

New Zealand v India - 2nd ODI

The Shubman Gill vs Prithvi Shaw debate has raged on ever since the duo's U19 World Cup campaign, and an installment of the same will undoubtedly grab headlines ahead of the New Zealand T20I series.

Gill has shattered records in the 50-over format, recently amassing 360 runs in the three ODIs against the Black Caps. Although he is yet to completely crack the T20 code, he has immense potential and is bound to become a masterful opener in the shortest format as well.

Gill has almost all the shots in the book; it's just a question of him finding the right tempo in T20 cricket. The young batter is in the form of his life at the moment, and both he and India need to make hay when the sun shines.