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Picking Shubman Gill as India's vice-captain for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 wasn't a one-shot decision by the Indian team management. Reportedly, during the announcement of India's Asia Cup squad, the very first name mentioned by chief selector Ajit Agarkar was Shubman Gill, who was also designated as the team's vice-captain. The significance of this appointment was immediately clear, as the first question posed to captain Suryakumar Yadav at the subsequent press conference concerned Gill's return to the T20I leadership role after more than a year. It was evident to all observers that Gill was the focal point of the selection announcement, which itself had been delayed for nearly an hour and a half due to poor weather in Mumbai.
Was Shubman Gill Ajit Agarkar's first choice for vice-captaincy role in Asia Cup 2025?
While both Agarkar and Suryakumar publicly affirmed that Gill was always considered an integral part of the team despite his recent absence from the T20I side, a report from Indian Express hints that Gill's elevation to vice-captain was not the initial plan. His selection was always going to be a major headline, and the leadership role amplified the attention. However, behind the scenes, the decision was far from straightforward.
Reportedly, the appointment came after considerable deliberation among the selectors. The panel, which met on August 19, spent a significant portion of the meeting discussing the vice-captaincy, with all-rounder Axar Patel also being considered for the position. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, who participated in the meeting virtually, supported the eventual decision to invest in a younger player. Ultimately, the selectors chose to back Gill for the long term, viewing him as a crucial component of India's future leadership structure and a candidate to be groomed for the captaincy.
According to Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, Gill was always considered to be part of the team's long-term plans. This decision underscores the management's continued faith in Gill's abilities across all formats of the game.
“He was the vice-captain when we played in Sri Lanka. But after that, he was busy with Test cricket. We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. He exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” Agarkar said during the press conference.
Notably, Gill has been recalled to the T20I squad for the first time this year. Gill. His return to the T20I setup comes at the expense of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who will miss out despite having a strong start to his international career, including a successful tour of England. Gill's absence from recent T20I squads was primarily due to his commitments and health issues. He missed last year's T20I series in South Africa to focus on preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. A back spasm also kept him out of the subsequent home T20I series against England. The selectors have stated that had Gill been available for those matches, he would have likely retained his position as the team's vice-captain.
Suryakumar will soon turn 35 and with this in mind the selectors are looking to the future as far as India's captaincy role is concerned in the T20Is. They've identified the need to groom a long-term leader for the T20 format. At 25, Gill is seen as the top candidate to eventually take over the captaincy, a decision fully supported by Suryakumar.
India's Asia Cup squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Stand-by players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel
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