A new T20I cycle is beginning in less than a week. India’s assignments in the shortest format in the new cycle start with a two-match series in Ireland, on June 26 and 28 in Belfast. Suryakumar Yadav, the T20 World Cup-winning skipper, has been given an unceremonious send-off, and Shreyas Iyer is the new captain. Five T20Is in England will follow the matches in Ireland. The squad has been picked, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the new kid on the block.
There’s a logjam in the top order in the shortest format. Sanju Samson, the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, and Abhishek Sharma are the two incumbent openers. Sooryavanshi has been brought into the fold. There’s Ishan Kishan, who can bat in any position from No. 1 to 4, while Shreyas is a like-for-like replacement for Surya.
So, where does it put Shubman Gill, India’s Test and ODI skipper, who was the T20I vice-captain until last December? The Ajit Agarkar-led selection dropped him for the T20 World Cup and made Ishan the surprise pick. Their decision stood vindicated. Apparently, Gill was no longer in the shortest-format scheme of things? Wrong.
It is reliably learnt that the selection committee flirted with the idea of bringing Gill back into the T20I set-up, and even giving him captaincy, once it decided to move on from Surya after the World Cup. Sources in the know said that the captaincy choice was narrowed down to two players — Shreyas and Shubman — although someone in the team management opined that Sanju, too, has leadership potential. Eventually, the selectors decided to hand over the responsibility to Shreyas until the Asian Games in September-October.
In between, there’s a short white-ball tour of Zimbabwe, and if a second-string Indian side is sent, there could be a different captain for that series.
As Agarkar had said at the selection press conference, Shreyas’ record as a captain in the IPL tilted the balance in his favour. But the selectors’ haven’t put the lid on Gill as yet. Far from it. The new cycle will have the LA28 Olympics apart from the next T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand two years down the line. A period of two years is a long time in sport and things can change.
Shreyas has had a back issue that forced him to restrict his involvement in white-ball cricket only. Also, there’s a school of thought that India will need a Virat Kohli-style anchor in their batting line-up in a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where the bowlers will have a say. Gill fits perfectly into that role.
Everybody wants Shreyas to get into the captaincy groove and take the team forward. But it’s the job of the selectors to keep a succession plan ready.
Follow RevSportz for latest sports news
The post Shubman Gill firmly remains in T20I scheme of things appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
