Just like Gill, Suryakumar has been struggling for runs in T20Is lately.
Shubman Gill, who was recalled to the T20I set-up as vice-captain ahead of the Asia Cup, has been left out of India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
The bold move by the selectors sparked a massive debate, with many arguing that if Gill has been dropped for his extended lean patch, then skipper Suryakumar Yadav deserves the same treatment.
Gill struggled to make an impact with the bat after his return to the T20I fold, scoring 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike-rate of 137.26.
On the other hand, Suryakumar’s batting numbers have fallen drastically ever since assuming the T20I captaincy. The Indian captain managed to score only 218 runs across 21 matches and 19 innings in 2025, averaging just over 13, with the best score of 47* to his credit.
Amid the debate, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has thrown his weight behind Suryakumar, highlighting the differences between the two cases.
“There is a difference in the cases of Gill and Surya. Surya has been a proven match-winner in T20s. He has been on top of the ICC rankings and won games as well. We can't compare the two here. Gill had to prove himself in this format in the Indian team,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“Take Kohli for example, he did not score for those two years during COVID but because he had a great record and a match-winner for 10 years or so, you backed him on his reputation and he got out of that phase and started scoring again. Surya is also in this category. Gill is nowhere close to Surya in this format. Saying you should remove both if they are not in form is not right here. Surya has earned this,” he added.
According to Kaif, Suryakumar Yadav can still get the job done for the team and his performances need analysis rather than people calling for his exclusion from the side.
“He cannot be dropped. In Surya's case, he has to be backed. You need to focus on where he is making mistakes and why he is not able to score. Is it because of the captaincy? Is that pressure getting to him? That is the question,” Kaif said.
“He is a solid player in this format. The question is how he can get out of this phase. He needs to assess whether he is putting his energy elsewhere and whether his technique is exposed. He has to find these answers,” he added.
With Shubman Gill being shown the door, Axar Patel was reinstated as India's vice-captain in T20Is. Sanju Samson has been restored as first-choice opener with Ishan Kishan being picked as cover.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan