Shubman Gill vs Ben Duckett - comparing their stats after 16 ODIs

As Team India prepare to take on England in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday, February 6, all eyes will be on opener Shubman Gill. He will open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the series.

Gill is also most likely going to be India's designated opener in the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which is slated to take place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates later this month. He will be expected to get India off to good starts against the new ball, making the most of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay.

For England, a batter who can be equally dangerous at the top of the order is Ben Duckett. The southpaw is known for his aggressive batting against the new ball and is widely feared by bowlers across the world. Although he is primarily known for his red-ball exploits, Duckett has not done too badly against the white ball.

In the 16 ODIs that he has played so far, Duckett has scored 700 runs at an impressive average of 46.66. Although his strike rate has been 99.71, he has already bagged two centuries and five half-centuries in his white-ball career. The 30-year-old has a best of 107* against Ireland in 2023.

Comparatively, Duckett has been far more prolific in Test cricket, having already scored 2,270 runs in 32 matches. The left-hander averages 39.82 in the longest format of the game and has peeled off four centuries and 13 fifties so far in his career, with a best of 182, coming against Ireland as well.

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After 16 ODIs, Shubman Gill had amassed 757 runs

Shubman Gill of India bats during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 semi-final match between India and New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium on November 15, 2023, in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Shubman Gill, who too embodies some of the values that Ben Duckett shows with the bat in hand, is a more organized batter at the crease. The 25-year-old, who comes in at number three in Test cricket, usually opens in ODIs and likes to take his time before going after the bowlers.

Gill's proactive nature at the crease allows him to bide time until he is mentally prepared to play shots. There is hardly anyone more elegant than the Punjab batter when he is on song, and as a result, is rated extremely highly by everyone who has seen him bat.

Gill is brilliant off the backfoot but does not hesitate to come forward when the ball is pitched up. He drives with grace, and mostly along the ground, which is a trait rarely seen among batters of this generation. However, when the time comes to up the ante, the Gujarat Titans captain is known to use the long handle to good effect.

If one were to compare Duckett and Gill after the latter's 16 ODIs, it is abundantly clear that the Indian comes out on top. Gill made his ODI debut against New Zealand in 2019 but could not get to double digits (9). It was not until his fourth ODI, against the West Indies three years later, that he scored his first half-century (64).

His 16th ODI came against Sri Lanka in Guwahati in 2023, and he celebrated the occasion by scoring 70 off just 60 deliveries. By then, he had already amassed 757 runs at an average of 58.23 and a strike rate of 100.53. Gill had also scored one century and five half-centuries by then.

It is, therefore, clear that Duckett beats Gill only in the centuries column while the latter takes precedence both in the total runs as well as average. The duo scored the same number of half-centuries (5) in their first 16 matches in this format of the game.

Duckett is widely prized by England for his unorthodox batting skills, whereas Gill is respected for adding some sanity to an Indian batting order that is increasingly thriving upon marrying positivity with recklessness. Both these batters will be expected to play crucial roles for their respective sides and decide their fate in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.