Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed his former teammate Shubman Gill amid his poor form in T20Is. He has opined that it would be unfair to drop the vice-captain of the Indian team without a proper review of his performances.
The Indian team have been extending their supreme form in the shortest format of the game, but their batters have lacked form. Especially the vice-captain, Shubman Gill, and Captain Suryakumar Yadav have been criticized heavily for their poor performance.
The Indian team are just 7 T20Is away from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to begin on the 7th of February. India will be the defending champions this edition and will have the home conditions to their advantage, but the Men in Blue need to advance with their final fixed XI, which they have yet to establish.
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“It is going to be an incredibly tough decision” – Ravichandran Ashwin on Shubman Gill’s snub from T20Is
Shubman Gill made his return to the Indian T20I side ahead of the Asia Cup, after his commendable show as the Test skipper in England. Gill was named the vice-captain in the format but has failed to convince fans with his performance as an opener, especially after he replaced Sanju Samson, a batter with three centuries last year.
Since Gill’s form has been seriously poor, and he has averaged around 20, former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has demanded a review of the vice-captain’s form, but not before the end of the remaining two T20Is in the series.
“I am a little concerned. Shubman is not only the opener but also the vice-captain. How will you remove the vice-captain? It is going to be an incredibly tough decision. If you have to make that decision, inside this series, you can’t bring [Sanju] Samson because it does not look nice to drop the vice-captain,” Ravichandran Ashwin reasoned.
Ravichandran Ashwin further stated that if the Indian opener fails to perform even after 5 matches into the series, then he should be dropped, but he should get a fair run before that.
“You can ask whether vice-captains have been dropped in the past or not. But he has been taken and should be given a fair run. If he does not perform in the five games, then a decision will have to be made,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
“You should be knowing your best XI and best squad (for T20 WC) by now,” said Ravichandran Ashwin
Shubman Gill’s slump in form, especially in white-ball cricket, is not a recent affair, as ever since the England series, he has had one red-ball century, and in white-ball cricket, he scored 127 runs in the Asia Cup and just 132 runs in the Australia T20I series.
So far in the South Africa series, Gill has amassed 32 runs across 3 games and averages 10.66. In the overall 15 games so far in 2025, he has scored just 292 runs at an average of 20.8. With this much uncertainty around his form, Shubman is surely not a part of India’s strongest combination in the World Cup.
“You should be knowing your best XI and best squad (for T20 WC) by now. I don’t think there are any doubts about the bowling. That department is sealed. Another good message is that Harshit Rana is showing what he is capable of. He is executing what he is good at,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.
However, Ashwin is concerned that if Shubman is not scoring the runs and Sanju has to replace him, it’s fine, but the last thing that the former CSK star would want to witness is Gill scoring his runs at a low strike rate, which would paralyze the team’s efforts.
Will India back Sanju Samson ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup?
Going into the Fourth T20I, India already lead over South Africa in the series. They have taken an early lead in the series, but it is evident that Shubman Gill does not have time in his favour. Will the Indian management consider bringing in Sanju Samson as his replacement?
Sanju Samson has not found form in the middle-order, but if he is backed for the opening spot, then it is ideal that Gill loses his spot ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. Samson had shown quite the grit as an opener and should be entrusted with the role by Gambhir.
