14 Aug 2025 : Shubman Gill is inching closer to landing a leadership role in India’s T20I side for the Asia Cup 2025, slated to be played in the UAE next month. This, after he did not feature in India’s last three T20I bilaterals against Bangladesh, South Africa and England. There are two reasons behind the selectors seriously considering drafting Gill back into India’s T20I side, not only as a batter but also as a leader.
Firstly, India never picked a ‘full-strength’ T20I squad since they won the World Cup in the West Indies in June last year. Gill was not a part of that squad but he was named captain of the young side that toured Zimbabwe immediately after the triumph in the Caribbean. He was also India’s T20I vice captain in the Sri Lanka series but as the pressure of other formats (mainly Test cricket) grew, the selectors decided to take Gill away from the shortest format.
Gill was not picked in the Indian T20I side for the home series against Bangladesh. There was no sign of him when the team toured South Africa and hosted England at home. In his absence, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson scored centuries for fun at the top of the order.
That is where the problem now is. After what Gill achieved as captain of a relatively inexperienced side in the five-match Test series in England, it was always going to be difficult to keep him away from any other format, especially when an important multi-nation tournament like the Asia Cup is around the corner.
According to a Times of India report, the ones in power are in favour of one captain for all formats. Since Suryakumar Yadav has done nothing wrong either as a batter or as captain in T20Is, there is no reason for him to be replaced immediately but Gill’s entry in the leadership group is more or less guaranteed.
Summary:
Shubman Gill is emerging as a strong contender for a leadership role in India’s Asia Cup squad, raising questions about succession after Suryakumar Yadav’s tenure.