Next vice-captain? Does Shubman Gill deserve a spot in T20I team?
As the discussions about Gill's comeback start all over again, questions have been raised on his place in the current India T20I setup. Gill has played 21 T20Is so far and scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 139.27 with one hundred and three fifties.His IPL strike rate also reads the same (138.71) with 3866 runs from 115 innings at an average of 39.44. While Gill has impressive numbers in his T20 career, he might not be an ideal fit in the current Indian T20I setup. Ever since Suryakumar Yadav was handed over the leadership duties of the T20Is, he has continued the same philosophy from his predecessor Rohit Sharma, as the young side has batted with a fearless approach.Can Gill step up his T20 game?Since July 2024, India has breached the 200-run mark eight out of the 13 times they've batted first. The Indian batting right from the top to bottom is filled with fierce stroke makers as they take the opposition head-on right from the word go. Courtesy of their belligerent strokeplay, they've posted humongous scores such as 297/6, 283/1, 247/9, 234/2, 221/9 etc.Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, amongst others, all have flourished in the last 12 months, batting with an ultra-aggressive approach as per the modern standards of T20 cricket. On the other hand, Gill is known for taking his time to settle before shifting gears, which is evident from his approach in the IPL as well.Hence, bringing him back would hinder India's batting approach as they already boast a formidable batting lineup feared by the entire world. Moreover, Gill's place in the playing XI will also not be guaranteed as India already have a settled opening pair in Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, who complement each other beautifully. Moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who's also known for his aggressive strokeplay, is also waiting in the wings.The vice-captaincy conundrumThe number three and four spots have been taken up by Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav. With Gill being a top-order batter, playing him at any other spot other than the top three would be a waste of his potential. Hence, with all the spots sealed in the top four, there doesn't seem to be a place for Gill in the team.advertisementThe selection committee had appointed Axar Patel as the vice-captain of the T20I side in January 2025 for the five-match series against England. The all-rounder has been one of the most important players for the team across formats due to his match-winning prowess with both bat and ball.If Gill is indeed making a comeback in the team, he will reclaim his vice-captaincy, which would be an injustice to Patel, given his massive contribution to the team in recent times. The southpaw played a key role in the T20 World Cup triumph with his all-round show in the final.The Prince will have to wait for his turnHence, bringing Gill out of nowhere into contention is going to create more problems than solving any and would disturb the status quo of the side. While Gill is touted as the future of Indian cricket and deserves all the praise, having proven himself in both Tests and ODIs, T20Is are not his forte yet.advertisementAt the moment, it's best to keep him away from the shortest format and wait for his opportunity to arrive. The Indian T20I team has all the ingredients to defend their World title in 2025 on home soil. It's in the best interest of the team that captain Suryakumar Yadav is being continuously given a free hand to operate his men, as he's earned that luxury with the kind of results he's been able to achieve so far.As far as Shubman Gill is concerned, the prince will have to carve his path towards T20I reckoning, and currently, he seems far away from his goal.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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