Does India’s T20i setup need Shubman Gill, given the Indian Test skipper hasn’t played an International T20 since last year.
Does Shubman Gill fit into India’s T20I plans?
on two of the three international forms, Shubman Gill’s spot on the Indian squad is undeniable. In his first series as Test captain, he led India to a 2-2 draw in England, breaking records as a batter. He also played a significant part in India’s march to the 2023 ODI World Cup final and their victory in the 2025 Champions Trophy. When Rohit Sharma leaves the ODI format as well, Gill might perhaps be the next captain.
However, as a prelude to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, India’s next task is the Asia Cup in September, which will be contested in the T20I format. The question is, does Gill fit into India’s ambitions for the shortest format?
His most recent T20 performance, which included 650 runs at an IPL 2025 strike rate of around 156, is impressive. For the ensuing ten years, he will be a vital component of Indian cricket. Though the selection question is more complicated, both are arguments in his favour.
In 2024, India won the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, but that was the last time they selected a full-strength T20I team. During the competition, Gill was not included in the main 15 and was a travelling reserve. Since then, injuries and schedule have affected India’s T20I selections.
Following the World Cup last year, Gill captained a backup squad for the T20I series in Zimbabwe. Later in July of that year, he served as vice-captain of a nearly full-strength team for the T20I series in Sri Lanka. Gill was not selected for India’s home Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Bangladesh in October, South Africa in November, and England in January of this year, which were slated to take place shortly after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and before the Champions Trophy, due to the importance of Test cricket. Axar Patel was promoted to the position of T20I vice-captain while he was away.
There is always a scheduling pressure. For instance, India’s home Test series against the West Indies begins on October 2, and the Asia Cup final takes place on September 28. With the bigger objective of reclaiming their World Cup title the following year, the selectors must focus on the finest T20I combination for the Asia Cup this time. They start from a huge advantage: India has won 17 of 20 bilateral Twenty20 Internationals since winning the World Cup.
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have taken Gill’s place as the starting openers in the T20I team since August 2024.
In keeping with India’s style of T20I cricket, the selectors could decide whether to stick with two extremely explosive openers in Abhishek and Samson or choose a more reliable yet aggressive choice.
Like Jaiswal Yashasvi? Like Gill, Jaiswal hasn’t participated in a Twenty20 International since July 2024 since India prioritised his Test matches over his other commitments. However, Jaiswal was selected as the backup opener for the 2024 T20 World Cup instead of Gill in India’s last full-strength team. The only reason he was a backup was because India decided to begin with Rohit and Virat Kohli somewhat late, and their subsequent retirements have made Jaiswal one of the front-runners to open.
Gill or Jaiswal’s inclusion in India’s first-choice T20I XI is questionable if the team management does not want to push Samson and Abhishek to the top. Given the requirement for backups for other player types in the squad, it is difficult to see how the selectors could choose all four of Abhishek, Samson, Gill, and Jaiswal if they choose to limit the Asia Cup squad size to 15—something they will have to do for the World Cup. However, Samson also has the benefit of being a wicketkeeper.
Choosing between Jaiswal and Gill for the team may come down to which player the selectors believe will have a greater influence during India’s T20 title defence.