With just seven more matches left for India before the T20 World Cup starts on February 7, Shubman Gill’s recent string of scores for India has put the management in a difficult position. India’s T20I vice-captain has failed to fire since his return to the side in the Asia Cup, and with Sanju Samson benched, chatter over his form has made headlines. Gill, who missed the ODI series against South Africa due to the neck injury sustained during the Tests, made his return during the T20Is, but scores of 4, 0 and 28 not out haven’t helped him.
Reacting to Gill’s form, former Ravichandran Ashwin has demanded a performance review of India’s vice-captain after the remaining two games in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. The introspection, as per Ashwin, is needed because it’s not often that a vice-captain is dropped, and hence, if that decision indeed has to be taken, it needs to be done only after giving Gill a fair run.
“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 take that decision, inside this series you can’t bring [Sanju] Samson because it does not look nice to drop the vice-captain. 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,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Gill’s bat quiet since England
It’s not as if Gill’s slump is recent. In fact, after the tour of England where he plundered over 700 runs, India’s Test and ODI captain has scored just a single century – 129 against the West Indies – while his T20I numbers need a serious resurrection. He scored just 127 runs from 7 matches in the Asia Cup, and another 132 from five games in Australia, including a best of 47. Gill’s form also adds a layer of uncertainty about the team combination heading into the World Cup, which, Ashwin feels, isn’t ideal this close to the tournament.
“You should be knowing your best XI and best squad (for T20 WC) by now. I don’t think there are any doubts in 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,” he added.
“The only question is, if Shubman doesn’t make the runs, should he be there or should Samson be playing. The only unfortunate thing from here on I do not want to see is Gill making runs at a lesser strike rate. That should not happen.”
