Former spinner Harbhajan Singh has opposed the Indian selectors’ decision to name Shubman Gill as vice-captain for the Champions Trophy 2025, saying that they could have waited until the end of the marquee event to hand over the deputy role to the Punjab lad in ODIs.

Harbhajan said he would have liked Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma to open the batting for India in the ICC showpiece but ruled out that possibility, saying Gill is a certainty at the top of the order after his promotion to vice-captaincy.

Notably, Jaiswal features in the 15-member squad despite the in-form opener not having played ODIs in the past. However, it is not clear whether he will be a starter in India’s playing XI during the Champions Trophy, slated to be held in Pakistan and UAE from February 19 to March 9.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said India could have opened with Jaiswal, adding that the team needed to make the most of an in-form player who brings in the right-left combination at the top of the order.

"We all said Jaiswal should be there. The way he played in Australia, he showed he is ready. We said he should not just be in the squad, but he should play in the XI. But, now, I think him playing in the XI will be difficult. Shubman Gill is the vice-captain. He will open the innings. You can’t say that Yashasvi Jaiswal will open, Shubman Gill will play at No. 3 and Virat Kohli at No. 4. If that happens, where will Shreyas Iyer play? Yashasvi should have played. When a player is in form, he should play," Harbhajan stated.

"(If Shubman Gill was not made vice-captain), then Yashasvi could have played. Yashasvi and Rohit would have opened, Virat Kohli would have batted at No. 3. Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 and the rest of the batting line-up. Gill would have sat out in that case. But, now he is vice-captain. But, I don’t think a vice-captain has sat out,” he added.

Harbhajan reckons the selectors' move suggests that Gill might take over as captain of the ODI team in the near future.

"I think they have picked him as vice-captain, keeping the road ahead in mind. May be, in the next six-eight months, whenever the transition happens, Gill will be given that responsibility (captaincy). Maybe they could have waited until the end of this tournament.

"I am happy for Gill, but I wanted Yashasvi Jaiswal to play. The left-right combination at the top is important. And he plays freely, he is in good form. He doesn’t have the pressure of fighting for a spot. He is stable. He could have batted at the top," he remarked.

When asked if India could drop Shreyas Iyer from the XI to accommodate both Gill and Jaiswal, Harbhajan replied: "No, Shreyas Iyer deserves a spot. He made over 300 runs in the World Cup. There is probably no better player in the middle-order than him. Yashasvi Jaiswal should play, but I don’t know how."

India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

India squad for Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh