Given how things have unfolded in recent months, it is clear that key stakeholders of Indian cricket want Shubman Gill to be the next poster boy. Exactly a year ago, Shubman Gill struggled to find a place in India’s T20I squad and was not even a part of the T20 World Cup squad.
He was also struggling to cement his place in the Test team. Fast forward to now, the right-handed batsman has been appointed the captain of India in Tests and ODIs. There is speculation that he is also likely to take charge of the T20 team after next year’s T20 World Cup.
In September this year, he was recalled to the T20I squad for the Asia Cup and is set to get a long chance to cement his place in the team. Unfortunately, things have not been going well for Indian cricket in recent times and Gill is struggling to justify the support he has received so far.
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Under his captaincy, India drew the Test series in England before losing the ODI series in Australia. India won the ODI series against South Africa at home but Gill was not a part of that team due to injury. He has also struggled to perform well with the bat in T20Is.
As Gill looks to steady himself, here are three glaring issues that have emerged in Indian cricket since he was made captain and brought back into the T20I setup.
1. The decision to sack Rohit Sharma from the post of ODI captain backfired:
The decision of the selectors and team-management to remove Rohit Sharma from the post of ODI captain raised many eyebrows. After leading India to the 2023 World Cup final and Champions Trophy glory earlier this year, Shubman Gill replaced the experienced batsman as the ODI captain.
This decision has not been supported by many as Rohit Sharma is still one of the best ODI batsmen in the world and there is no doubt that he is also one of the best leaders. In his first series as captain, Gill looked clueless as India lost to Australia. The call to sack a famous captain like Rohit, even though he is still an active cricketer, certainly sounds bad.
2. The established opening pair broke in T20I:
To make room for Shubman Gill in the T20I squad, the team-management decided to break the established opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Samson was demoted to the middle order before being dropped completely as the team management was preferring Jitesh Sharma as the wicketkeeper-batsman.
Samson has been one of India’s best T20I batsmen since the 2024 T20 World Cup. In 2024, he also scored three centuries in the shortest format of the game but is now on the bench while Gill struggles to justify his selection.
3. The batting lineup in the Test team looks fragile:
As soon as Shubman Gill took charge of the Test team, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from the longest format of the game. Several reports have suggested that both batsmen wanted to remain in Tests but were asked by the selectors to put the curtain on their careers.
Soon after the announcement of Rohit and Kohli’s retirement, the selectors announced the squad for the England tour and Gill was made the captain. With the departure of Rohit and Kohli, India’s batting order has definitely become fragile. While India managed to draw the series in England, it suffered a humiliating defeat in the two-match series against South Africa on home soil.
