Former India all-rounder R Ashwin voiced concern about Shubman Gill's poor form and the uncertainties surrounding his vice-captaincy status after the Punjab batter's slump continued into another innings in the ongoing South Africa T20I series.
Although Gill made a promising start in a 118-run chase at Dharamsala, the 26-year-old could only manage 28 in 28 balls. Ashwin claimed India would find it difficult to replace the Punjab batter midway through the series after appointing him as deputy to T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has also struggled for runs.
Ashwin, who won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy with the Indian team, also stated that a decision on Gill's position in the team would be made only after the remaining games in Lucknow and Ahmedabad in this series.
“I am a little concerned. Shubman is not only the opener but also the vice-captain. How will you remove the vice-captain? It is going to be an incredibly tough decision. If you have to take that decision, inside this series, you can’t bring [Sanju] Samson because it does not look nice to drop the vice-captain. You can ask whether vice-captains have been dropped in the past or not. But he has been taken and should be given a fair run. If he does not perform in the five games, then a decision will have to be made,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat.’
India will play five more T20Is against New Zealand in January next year before the provisional squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 is announced. Ashwin insisted that India must be in sync with their first XI for the T20 World Cup by now.
“You should know your best XI and best squad (for T20 WC) by now. I don’t think there are any doubts about the bowling. That department is sealed. Another good message is that Harshit Rana is showing what he is capable of. He is executing what he is good at,” Ashwin stated.
Ashwin, however, stressed that Gill must put himself in a position to score runs even if it comes at the cost of a higher strike rate in order to retain his place in the side.
“The only question is, if Shubman doesn’t make the runs, should he be there, or should Samson be playing? The only unfortunate thing from here on that I do not want to see is Gill making runs at a lesser strike rate. That should not happen,” said Ashwin.
The fourth T20I between India and South Africa will be played on December 17 in Lucknow.
