‘We see leadership qualities in him': Agarkar on Gill's return
Mumbai
Following the announcement of the Asia Cup squad, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar spoke on the inclusion of Shubman Gill as a vice-captain in the set-up.
Team India for the Asia Cup 2025 was unveiled on Tuesday, with skipper Suryakumar leading the squad and Shubman Gill as his deputy, with several major names missing out. The squad was announced during a press conference attended by T20I skipper Suryakumar and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, which was held after a selection meeting which also featured the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia.
Gill, who was the captain for the T20I tour to Zimbabwe just after the T20 WC, was leading a side which featured mostly newer players, will now play his first T20I competition since July 2024 as a vice-captain. In 21 T20Is, Gill has made 578 runs in 21 innings at an average of 30.42, with a strike rate of 139.27. He has scored a century and three fifties, with the best score of 126*. He was also Surya's deputy during the T20I series against Sri Lanka away from home last year. After this series, he was omitted from T20Is to focus mainly on a heavy Test season with tours to Australia and England and the ICC Champions Trophy.
Speaking during the presser, Agarkar said about Gill, 'We obviously see some leadership qualities in him. And his form in England was what we were hoping for. He exceeded all our expectations with the kind of form that he showed with his bat, which is a great sign when there is so much pressure on you as a captain.'
Suryakumar also said that the last time Gill played for India, he was the vice-captain during the tour to Sri Lanka last year, and following that he got busy with the Test cricket season at home and for tours to Australia and England.
'He never got the opportunity to play T20 because he was busy playing test cricket. And more of a Champions Trophy, I guess, before England T20. So he is there in the squad, and we are happy to have him,' he added.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Gill scored 650 runs in 15 innings at an average of 50.00, with a strike rate of 155.87, with six fifties and a best score of 93*, ending as the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament.
During the tour of England consisting of five Tests, Gill displayed exemplary leadership qualities as a captain, leading a new-look team without legends like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin to a well-fought 2-2 draw. He also scored a whopping 754 runs including four centuries with a best score of 269.
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