Shubman Gill will be the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in India's T20I team starting Asia Cup 2025.
When the BCCI released a 15-man squad for the Asia Cup, Gill, who excelled in his first series as England's Test captain, was promoted to the leadership department. Despite not participating in a T20I since July of last year, Gill took Axar Patel's spot as India's vice-captain.
It's significant to note, though, that the Indian cricket team selection panel, which was led by Ajit Agarkar, did not initially select Gill. The incumbent Axar Patel was reportedly one of the other candidates the selectors had in mind for the vice-captain position.
Whether Gill should be selected and appointed vice-captain took up most of Tuesday's selection meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, according to an Indian Express article.
Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, was instrumental in swaying the decision in Gill's favor by attending the meeting virtually.
“It was the matter that consumed most of the time at Tuesday’s selection meeting, and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who joined online, was also of the view that India needs to groom someone for the future, and Gill, who turns 26 next month, was the most eligible candidate.
Gill wasn’t the first choice initially, and some people felt that Axar Patel should continue in the role of vice-captain. But the overall mood at the selection meeting was that it’s better to invest in a player who is likely to serve Indian cricket for long,” the Indian Express report stated.
After the selection panel couldn’t find any better alternative, it decided to pick Gill, the report added.
“The panel couldn’t find any other candidate to whom they could hand over responsibility for the next five years. As Gill is already leading in Test cricket, the selectors felt it was the right time to prepare him to take over from Surya sometime in the future,” the report concluded.
Shreyas Iyer, who led India in runs during the Champions Trophy 2025 campaign and assisted Punjab Kings in making it to the Indian Premier League final, was a possibility for the BCCI selection. Iyer and the Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL the previous year.
Another possibility would have been Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal had significantly higher numbers than Jaiswal in the T20Is and was a member of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team.
The selectors suggested that Gill might be the next all-format captain by choosing him as T20I vice-captain, but in an era of intense competition in cricket, it's dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket.
(Indian Express report)