Iyer as ODI captain? BCCI says discussion not yet made
A day after reports suggested that the BCCI was considering Shreyas Iyer as the successor to Rohit Sharma in ODIs, the board has firmly dismissed such claims. On Thursday, a report in Dainik Jagran alleged that Iyer was the frontrunner to take over once Rohit decided on his future in the format. However, BCCI officials have clarified that no such discussion has taken place and instead highlighted Shubman Gill as the natural choice for the role. It is a period of transition for the Indian national cricket team, with a young coach and a team that has seen wholesale changes in the last 12 months as many of its veterans step away and make space for fresh blood. This has been particularly true when it comes to the leadership contingents of the team across the board, with the decisions regarding who the leader of India’s brave new world will be holding a lot of importance for its immediate future; this is not a string of decisions to be taken lightly. If the first half of the year was dedicated to question marks over the Test captaincy for India’s men’s national team, the second half has begun with questions regarding captaincy in ODI cricket. With rumours swirling regarding the oncoming retirement of incumbent ODI captain Rohit Sharma, a fair few names have been thrown around as candidates for limited-overs leadership in recent days. High amongst those is Shreyas Iyer, whose stock as a captain in white-ball cricket is at an all-time high after reaching two consecutive IPL finals with two different franchises. Iyer’s mixture of experience, leadership, and x-factor has made him a sudden crowd favourite to take over the captaincy mantle from Rohit, as and when Team India reaches that bridge. According to the report, a BCCI source told Hindustan Times that there is no reason why Shubman Gill should not be the frontrunner to lead India in ODIs when the time comes. The 25-year-old opener, who was recently appointed as India’s Test captain, also served as vice-captain in the Champions Trophy and is deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in the Asia Cup T20 squad. For now, India continues with a three-captain setup: Rohit Sharma in ODIs, Gill in Tests, and Suryakumar in T20Is. “He averages 59 in ODI cricket and is already the vice-captain of the team. There is no way someone who has recently been appointed Test captain, found some success and has age on his side should not take over leadership in ODI cricket, when the time comes,” stated the source. Whichever player is chosen will have to wait, with Rohit holding on to captaincy as India head to Australia for a three-match series this October.
Shubman Gill may not feature in India’s Asia Cup squad
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, is set to meet in Mumbai on Tuesday to finalise India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025. India’s Test captain Shubman Gill might find it difficult to get into the Asia Cup T20 side, with selectors struggling to find a way to slot him into the squad of 15. According to a report by Cricbuzz, Gill may not find a place in the Asia Cup roster, with the committee in the Asia Cup roster, with the committee as the first-choice opening pair. Yashasvi Jaiswal is being considered as the third opener, ahead of Gill. However, Gill’s inclusion could still depend on head coach Gautam Gambhir’s inputs. If Gambhir pushes for Gill, Jaiswal might have to make way. There has been much talk about vice-captaincy in recent times. Shubman Gill as possible vice-captain for the Asia Cup is something that has been doing the rounds. The truth is that vice-captaincy isn’t something that is very relevant to the selection meeting. Gill as player will indeed be discussed, and a call taken. It is equally true that his inclusion or non-inclusion will not depend on him being a possible vice-captaincy option. Gill has already proved that he is captaincy material in Test cricket. Vice-captaincy isn’t going to tilt the scales for or against him on August 19. Indian team management and selectors are of the opinion that Gill at the moment doesn’t fit into their T20 scheme of things. Which means there are chances of Gill not boarding a flight to Dubai as the Indian team management want to stick to players whom they have backed post the 2024 T20 World Cup. the selectors will convey this to the Indian board bosses before the selection committee assembles on August 19, to make them aware of the situation. The Indian team will continue to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who has cleared his fitness. It is understood that in a series of informal talks before the selection, there was discussion on Gill’s inclusion in the playing eleven. If India’s Test captain makes it in the squad the team management would have to open the innings with him. However, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson having done well in the top order, the team wants to stick with their tried and tested openers in whom they have invested so far. There was also a discussion informally on whether to drop Tilak Varma and accommodate Gill. However, the team management felt that it would be unfair on the left-handed batsman, who is holding the number two ranking in International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I’s batting rankings. The team doesn’t want Gill to be seen warming the bench. This means recent success in England, where a young Indian cricket team without stars earned a 2-2 draw, might not have much of an impact on the upcoming selection, given it’s two different formats. However, with recent success in Test cricket, Gill is pushing his case hard for inclusion in white ball formats. In the IPL, Gill was the fourth highest run getter after Sai Sudharsan (759), Surya (717), Kohli (657) with 650 runs. Shreyas (604) and Jaiswal (559) were 6th and 7th respectively. With his success in the red ball format, the buzz had risen to make him the all-format captain of the Indian team. However, selectors are not jumping the gun after the England success and have decided to carry on with their old captain who is yet to lose a series in his leadership stint. Finally, it will be interesting to see if the selectors decide to try out someone new. With the T20 World Cup just five months away, the Asia Cup is perhaps the final opportunity to check out on a new player. As the cup comes closer and India contest T20 games against South Africa and New Zealand in December-January, you would want to play your best XI and get the combination right. In fact, the time for experimentation is now. If Gill is in your World Cup plans, play him in Dubai. If Samson and Abhishek are the designated openers, they should be persisted with.
Shubman Gill Reflects on Batting Depth, Missed Opportunity, and Bowling Consistency
In a recent press interaction, Indian skipper Shubman Gill opened up about the challenges faced by the team, especially the lack of depth in the lower order batting. “It’s been one of the things that we always talk about, especially without batting depth, our lower order sometimes isn’t able to contribute as much as other teams,” Gill said during the post-match presentation. Speaking about his impressive 147-run knock in the first innings against England, Gill admitted there was potential to score even more, particularly if a solid partnership had been built with Rishabh Pant. “I was batting on 147, and the way I got out, maybe I could have scored 50 more with a partnership with Rishabh. But having said that, you can also look at the other side — if you get a good ball and get out, that’s fine.” Gill also emphasized the added responsibility that falls on the top-order batters due to the weaker lower order. “Once you’re set, and you know the team doesn’t have that much depth in the batting order, maybe the top order could take a little more responsibility and take the game completely away from the opposition. When your last five or six don’t contribute much, it becomes easier for the opposition to come back into the game.” On the bowling front, Gill reflected on the importance of consistency, especially against an aggressive England batting lineup. “The important thing is how consistently you bowl in one area. Against a team like England, they can hit both good and loose balls. So it becomes difficult to maintain consistency, especially when the ball and wicket conditions don’t match. The key is to keep hitting the right areas consistently.”
