Shubman Gill Returns to T20I Team as Vice-Captain
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made a significant move by recalling Shubman Gill into the T20 International squad. The young star, who last played in this format back in July 2024, has also been named the vice-captain. The selection committee views him as a promising leader for the future.
With the current T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, soon to celebrate his 35th birthday, the BCCI seems to be grooming Gill for a more prominent leadership role in T20 cricket. Recently, he had his initial challenge as Test captain after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, where he made a strong start by scoring 754 runs, including four centuries, leading India to a drawn series.
Strong performances have shown that Gill is adapting well to leadership responsibilities. Now, the team management is ready to place him in the T20I lineup as well. With his dual roles as Test captain and vice-captain in limited-overs cricket, he’s on track to lead the team across all formats.
A Shift in Captaincy Styles
However, the BCCI’s plans raise questions about the relevance of an all-format captain in today’s cricket landscape. Most major cricketing nations prefer to have different captains for various formats, with only a few captains managing more than one format.
For example, here’s how the current captains are set in several major cricketing nations:
- Australia: Pat Cummins (Test, ODI), Mitchell Marsh (T20I)
- South Africa: Temba Bavuma (Test, ODI), Aiden Markram (T20I)
- England: Ben Stokes (Test), Harry Brook (ODI & T20I)
- India: Shubman Gill (Test), Rohit Sharma (ODI), Suryakumar Yadav (T20I)
- New Zealand: Tom Latham (Test), Mitchell Santner (ODI & T20I)
- Others: Various captains leading different formats for their respective teams.
India’s Cramped Cricket Schedule
India has one of the busiest cricket schedules, playing 129 matches since 2023 across all formats. In addition to international games, players also participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which adds around 14 matches to their workload every season—more if their team advances to the playoffs.
Shubman Gill will also captain the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, adding to his responsibilities. Former captain Virat Kohli has shared how the stress of leadership affected him, leading him to step down from captaincy in both international and IPL formats.
The Challenges of Leadership
Leading a team like India, given its massive fan following, comes with tremendous pressure. This pressure can be compounded when leading an IPL team as well. Some of the last notable all-format captains, like Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam, have faced difficulties with such a demanding role, with both stepping back to focus on their performances.
The BCCI has high hopes for Shubman Gill, but the mounting pressure of leadership could pose some challenges. As he embarks on this journey in T20I cricket again, the wisdom of making him an all-format captain is something that might need further thought.
Published On: August 24, 2025
Author: Rishabh Beniwal
