Shubman Gill told to earn T20I spot after ODI captaincy in blunt assessment: ‘Have seen Indian cricket change overnight’

Uthappa weighed in on Gill’s leadership in ODIs and T20Is, praising his credentials in two formats while suggesting he still needs to prove himself in T20Is.

Former batter Robin Uthappa offered a blunt assessment of Shubman Gill’s elevation as ODI captain, stating that the youngster is still a long way from earning the all-format leadership role, especially with his inconsistent record in T20Is. Shubman’s stature in Indian cricket has soared this year, with his elevation to Test and ODI captaincy firmly establishing him as the new face of Indian cricket. He has already proved his mettle in Tests and ODIs, but his T20I numbers are still below par. Though Shubman serves as vice-captain in T20Is, his stats—705 runs in 28 matches at an average of 28.20 and a strike rate of 141.28—have drawn scrutiny.

Shubman Gill has failed to live upto the expectations in T20Is so far.(AFP)

He was picked over Yashasvi Jaiswal in the recently concluded Asia Cup, where India emerged victorious, but he failed to live up to expectations and didn't breach the 50-run mark even once in the tournament. He scored just 127 runs in 7 matches but he retained his place for the T20I series on Australia tour where he also make his ODI captaincy debut.

Uthappa weighed in on Gill’s leadership in ODIs and T20Is, praising his credentials in the two formats while suggesting he still needs to prove himself in T20Is. He also highlighted competition from players like Jaiswal, Sanju Samson for the opening slot, while suggesting Shreyas Iyer has the credentials to take over captaincy in T20Is.

“I get One Day and Test cricket, and I think he’s a solid pick in Test cricket, and he’s shown us that as well. As far as ODI cricket is concerned, I think his numbers are good, but I think they’ll get better for a player of his caliber. I think they will look at Shreyas Iyer as a captain in T20. Shubman Gill, he still has to earn that spot. Especially when have Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings, Sanju Samson’s spot being shifted, Shreyas Iyer not being a part of the side, waiting in the wings as well. I wish his Asia Cup went better for him for his sake because now Abhishek has run with that one opener slot. Now, the second opener slot is still very much open. As far as I am concerned, Yashasvi can be someone who can come up there. Sanju can certainly come up there," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.

“Shubman Gill needs to secure his spot first”

Uthappa emphasised that Shubman Gill still needs to earn his spot in the T20I side, noting that holding the vice-captaincy doesn’t automatically guarantee a future captaincy.

“I still think Gill needs to secure his spot first. So, I don’t think it will be taken for granted in a sense where he will be captain or he will be next in line.” We know and we’ve seen Indian cricket change overnight; things change very quickly, narratives change very quickly. Honestly, vice-captaincy in India doesn’t mean very much… Like, you’ve seen a bunch of vice-captains not becoming captain, right?” he added.