India’s World Cup-winning spinner Harbhajan Singh has shared his clear and straightforward view on India’s captaincy talks surrounding Shubman Gill. Harbhajan Singh does not completely agree with the calls for making Shubman Gill captain of the India National Cricket Team in all three formats.
The former Indian spinner believes that Shubman Gill has everything it takes to become India’s captain in all three formats of the game in the future, but right now, the T20I team should have its own specialist leader. Currently, Suryakumar Yadav is leading the T20I team.
Harbhajan Singh urges BCCI not to don’t overload Shubman Gill
Harbhajan explained that cricket is no longer led by just one captain across formats in today’s demanding schedule and fast-forward world. He pointed out that there are different players in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, and each format demands a separate approach.
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Harbhajan Singh was quoted as saying by the Times of India, “Earlier, there used to be only one captain, even if the format was different. Now, there are three captains. When there are three formats, the mind is occupied. It all depends on him, where he wants to focus, how he wants to shape up his career, and how he wants to make the team that will be remembered for a long time. Whether it is Test Cricket, T20I Cricket, ODI Cricket, or all three formats.”
He believes that leading all three teams can put too much pressure on one person and affect how he shapes his own career. The former Indian spinner has suggested that Gill should focus first on making a strong mark as Test captain and prepare himself for the ODI role as well.
Harbhajan Singh wants Shubman Gill to build his legacy in Test and ODI cricket
If Gill handles Test and ODI cricket successfully, he will naturally be ready for bigger responsibilities later, as Harbhajan wants Gill to build his legacy in Tests and ODIs.
But when it comes to T20I cricket, Harbhajan feels there should be a separate captain who is fully involved only in that format and understands its fast pace and changing team combinations every day.
Harbhajan explained, “I think all three formats are challenging because it takes a lot of time. There are different formats. Different players come in different formats. There is a completely different team in T20I cricket. There is a different team in Test Cricket. It is going to be a big challenge.”
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Harbhajan Singh says Shubman Gill should not lead India in T20I cricket
The former India off-spinner has made it clear that he is not doubting Gill’s talent or leadership ability; rather, he only wants the young Test skipper to grow step by step without getting overloaded.
He signed off by saying, “At the moment, the Test team is playing under him. One day, the ODI team will play under him. If these two formats are focused, then I think Shubman Gill is ready for it. For the rest of the T20 format, I think there should be a specialist captain.”
Notably, Gill was recently named India’s Test captain, and he impressed one and all by playing a key role as a batter and leader in drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. He is also the Gujarat Titans captain in the IPL, and now many want him to take all three formats of captaincy for India.
