CHENNAI: While every one who follows Indian cricket knew it was only a matter of time before Shubman Gill was eased into the T20I set up, the selectors and team management put an end to the debate, naming the Test captain as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy for the upcoming Men's T20 Asia Cup.
In the lead up to the meeting, there were speculations as to how Gill might not make the team just yet and could be in the scheme of things after the T20 World Cup next year. However, it is clear now that the BCCI wants to groom Gill to take over in all three formats as captain. Earlier this year, he was named as Rohit Sharma's deputy in the Champions Trophy.
The Test captaincy followed and after his performance in England, the selectors were keen to hand him the vice-captaincy once again. Gill had led India in the T20Is against Zimbabwe post the T20 World Cup last year and was vice-captain for the Sri Lanka series. “Last time, when he played the T20 against Sri Lanka, post the World Cup, he was vice-captain. That’s where we started a new cycle for the T20 World Cup. After that, we got busy with Test cricket, and he didn’t get opportunities. We’re happy to have him,” said skipper Suryakumar on Tuesday.
Gill being named as vice-captain could mean that either Sanju Samson bats at No 3 or he misses out with comeback man Jitesh Sharma donning the gloves. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that they are impressed with the leadership qualities in England before adding that the captain and coach will take a call on the batting line-up and playing XI in the United Arab Emirates. While there is no doubt that Gill has upskilled his T20 batting — 650 runs at a strike rate of 155.87 in 2025 IPL — it will be interesting to see how he bats alongside his childhood friend and Punjab state teammate Abhishek Sharma. The left-hander and Samson had been providing explosive starts at the top which is a little different to the way Gill builds his innings. In this particular tournament, conditions also might dictate the pace of batting as much as the approach in itself.
As for the tournament itself, all eyes will be on the clash between India and Pakistan. It will be the first time the two countries play against each other since the cross-border tensions in April-May and the months that followed. When India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about how the team will approach the contest, the BCCI spokesperson intervened and said the captain and chief selector will only answer selection-related questions.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who led Punjab Kings to the Indian Premier League final, did not find a place in the squad or the reserves. Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel also missed out on the 15-member squad but they were named in reserves along with Prasidh Krishna.
As for Jasprit Bumrah playing the tournament, Agarkar said that the team management wants him for big tournaments like World Cups, Champions Trophy and high profile series against the likes of England and Australia. There were no surprises in the bowling attack with India expected to field a spin-heavy XI in continental tournament.
