Shubman Gill is seen as India’s future captain in all three formats and current T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Tuesday said he is glad to have him as his deputy for the Asia Cup commencing September 9 in the UAE.
Having not played a Twenty20 match since July of last year, Gill, India’s new Test captain, returned to the T20 format on Tuesday as the team’s designated vice-captain. His selection was a blatant indication by the selectors that they are considering Gill as a leader in all formats after the tenures of Rohit Sharma in ODIs and Suryakumar Yadav in the shortest format.
Gill missed out on India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in the Caribbean last year. However, he bounced back with a stellar IPL, followed by an impressive Test tour of England, where his leadership with the bat helped India secure a 2-2 series draw.
“The last time when he played T20Is for India, post (the) T20 World Cup (2024), when we went to Sri Lanka (in July 2024), not (the tour of) Zimbabwe. I was leading then and he was the vice-captain and that’s when we started a new cycle for (the next) T20 World Cup.”
“After that he got busy with all the Test series (at home). He did not get the opportunity to play T20 cricket because he got busy playing Test cricket and also the Champions Trophy. He is there in the squad (now) and we are happy to have him,” said Suryakumar.
Jitesh Sharma joins Sanju Samson as the second wicketkeeper in the squad. A strong IPL campaign with champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru revived his national prospects.
“Post last T20WC, we spoke a lot on how to go about it. We spoke about let’s not think of milestones ahead, follow your journey. Been a completely different cricketer post that. The way he performed in the IPL and domestic tournaments he played, he’s done really well, has earned his spot again,” said Suryakumar.
He also justified Harshit Rana’s inclusion as a pacer. “Harshit Rana has played really well in the IPL. I think he was a concussion replacement in the Pune game, he was the man of the match in the last game he played for India. We back his skills and we know he can deliver,” the captain added.
Rana is probably going to be on the bench at the Asia Cup since Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are anticipated to play every game.
Before hosting the World Cup the next year, India has a lot of Twenty20 cricket to play. India will play 15 more matches before the ICC event following the Asia Cup.
“It is the first big tournament after last year’s T20 WC. It’s a good tournament to test ourselves. Lot of T20s after this also. The journey starts from here,” said Suryakumar.
