Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has called for Shubman Gill’s snub from India’s playing XI in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, insisting that vice-captains of the side have been dropped before.

Kaif’s suggestion came amidst Gill’s constant struggles with the bat in the shortest format. His return to the T20I fold as deputy during the Asia Cup 2025 didn’t yield best of returns as he scored only 127 runs in seven innings at an average of 21.16 and a strike rate of 151.19.

The right-hander failed to make a mark in the subsequent five T20Is on the tour of Australia, amassing 132 runs at a strike rate of 136.08 without a half-century. With the T20 World Cup 2026 around the corner, he has produced scores of 4 and 0 in the first two T20Is of the ongoing five-match series against South Africa in Cuttack and New Chandigarh, respectively.   

Shubman Gill’s return has also seen Sanju Samson losing his spot at the top of the order despite hitting three T20I hundreds last year.

After receiving some chances in the middle order, Samson has been sidelined from the playing XI, with the team management preferring Jitesh Sharma as wicketkeeper-batter in the lower middle order.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif highlighted Gill’s mode of dismissals in the South Africa series and opined that India would instead benefit from a naturally aggressive batter in Samson at the top, alongside Abhishek Sharma.

“Look at how he is getting out, caught at slip, stepping out and mistiming, trying aggressive strokes like Abhishek Sharma and getting caught. He has tried everything. I think the time has come to give him a break and try players who are proven. Sanju Samson is a top-quality player; he hasn’t received enough chances. There should not be double standards. Even vice-captains have been dropped before. If it is in the team’s interest to rest Gill and bring in someone else, there is nothing wrong with it,” Kaif said.

“But now it feels like the time has come for changes. You dropped players like Jaiswal, you kept Sanju Samson on the bench without giving him consistent chances, even though he scored heavily as an opener. He hit three centuries in five T20 innings, something no one in history has done. Some players get very few chances, while others get extended runs because you want to settle them in the team. That is clearly visible. But now, I think the pressure has increased so much that it is time for a change somewhere,” he added.

According to Kaif, Gill’s slump also has a lot to do with the overload of responsibilities across formats.

“I have said this before: Shubman Gill has received too many responsibilities at once. Test captaincy, ODI captaincy, T20 vice-captaincy no player can carry that much weight at once. It is simply not possible. Responsibilities should be given gradually.”

“IPL conditions are different; international cricket against South Africa, Pakistan, England, New Zealand is at a completely different level. I feel he has been given too much too soon. That is why he picked up that neck issue earlier. That was not really a neck issue; it was an accumulated workload taking a toll on the body. You cannot stay at your peak continuously,” he remarked.