Former India national cricket team player Manoj Tiwari has alleged that the bias of head coach Gautam Gambhir helped Shubman Gill make his T20 eye return.
Manoj Tiwari said that Gautam Gambhir preferred to work with the leaders who follow their commandments without asking questions, and this is an open secret.
Shubman Gill selected as India’s opener in Asia Cup 2025
Gill has been selected as one of the openers in Team India for the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. He made his comeback behind a historic show with bat in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 and was named T20i Vice-Captain.
cricketballgame.com
Gill captained India in the Test series against England and led the team to the front, scored 754 runs, on an average at 75.40.
He has been in line with the Bat for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but has not played too much T20I cricket for India last year as it focuses on ODIs and Tests.
However, the selectors saw the Asia Cup 2025 as a good opportunity to remember the T20I setup and gave them a leadership role, which guaranteed him a slot in playing XI.
Due to Gill’s selection, Sanju Samson was forced to bat in the middle order, and is opening an innings with his childhood friend Abhishek Sharma.
He has been excellent in IPL – Manoj Tiwari on Shubman Gill
Meanwhile, Manoj Tiwari appreciated Gill for his bravery in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as both a batsman and captain.
“Shubman Gill is equally good, he has done so, and has shown that he has been outstanding in the IPL, he has been a good captain in the IPL where he has taken more responsibility, and the role is given to him,” Teevari said in an interview with Inside Sport.
In particular, the decision to demot Sanju Samson in batting after the return of Shubman Gill did not sit well with many people, as Kerala wicketkeeper-batsmen were performing brilliantly as a opener for India in T20 since last year.
It is an open secret that he wants a captain who wants to hear him – Gautam Gambhir but Manoj Tiwari
Even though Manoj Tiwari praised Shubman, he was not completely satisfied that he broke the early pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who performed miracles for India.
He said that head coach Gautam Gambhir played a major role in bringing Shubman Gill into a T20 Eye setup and handing him over-capacity.
“But, you have to see that before being in the Gill squad, we saw Abhishek Sharma and Samson in Zimbabwe, we saw that they were started against Bangladesh, which we had never imagined as a cricket fan. Team India never showed such an approach in T20 game.
“So, when these two persons have given you a performance and start, both of them have been fantastic, they have scored hundreds, then why do you want to change it here and bring Shubman Gill? The reason is well known, it’s an open secret that he wants a captain who wants to hear him.”
Also read: Rohit Sharma injured? The captain of India is prominent to BCCI CO in the important build-up for Australia Tour
