Gill Vs Pandya: Who Is More Likely To Lead India In Asia Cup Amid SKY's Fitness Concerns

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill [Source: AFP]

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav recently arrived at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) to complete his recovery from a sports hernia surgery. Suryakumar went under the knife last month, treating a sports hernia that he sustained right after the IPL 2025. 

SKY's Fitness Concerns Prompt India To Think Of Alternatives

Although Suryakumar Yadav is said to be on track for recovery before the Asia Cup, such injuries generally take a little extra time to heal. So, considering the Asia Cup is scheduled for next month, the delay in Surya's recovery has emerged as a massive concern for the Indian team. 

In such a scenario, India have two alternative captaincy options: Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya. 

Pandya, Gill, Axar And The Musical Chair Of India's T20I Vice-Captaincy

Axar Patel was recently named as India's vice-captain for the T20I series against England. However, the BCCI might not see Axar as a long-term captaincy option following his bizarre decision-making in the IPL 2025. 

Axar led Delhi Capitals with modest success in the tournament, with the franchise yet again failing to qualify for the playoffs. Axar seemed quite confused about his role as an all-rounder, while his several on-field calls received backlash from the DC fans. 

So, Axar's underwhelming captaincy stint with DC might force the BCCI to think of a long-term leadership option, bringing Pandya and Gill back into the mix. 

Hardik Pandya was India's vice-captain during Rohit Sharma's leadership stint and led the side in several bilateral series. However, he had a topsy-turvy journey, winning ten and losing five out of 16 matches. 

His modest returns eventually made the BCCI name Shubman Gill as the T20I vice-captain for the Sri Lanka tour. However, although he registered scores of 34 and 39, the selectors looked past him, establishing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as India's new opening pair in T20Is. 

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Abhishek, Samson And Tilak's Consistency Shuts Chances Of Gill's T20I Return

(Stats of Indian batters in T20Is)

While the swashbuckling duo has been quite consistent, Tilak Varma has proved his batting mettle at three. As these three batters have performed magnificently, the chances of Gill getting a T20I recall just before the Asia Cup seem bleak. 

Final Verdict

Thus, if Suryakumar Yadav somehow fails to recover in time for the Asia Cup, Hardik Pandya could be the first-choice player to replace him as captain. On the contrary, if Surya leads the team, India might stick to their experiment of adding Axar Patel to the leadership group by naming him the batter's deputy. 

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