The ‘Gill-SKY’ obduracy: How is Gambhir mindset compromising India’s T20 World Cup plans

Gautam Gambhir (L) , Shubman Gill (2R), and Suryakumar Yadav (R) (Source: AFP) 

Team India under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, are currently in action in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa. The Men in Blue are leading the series by 1-0 following a massive 101-run win in the series opener in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9. But this win alone doesn’t seem to give a relieving picture of India’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. 

There are still a lot of ticks wrong with the Indian team management’s decision-making and structural plans for the team's lineup despite a win in the first T20I against the Proteas. Top order’s collapse was something that can’t be covered under the cushion of win courtesy of Hardik’s all-round performance and collective effort from the bowlers. 

Two of the major concerns in the Indian top order included their out-of-form skipper Suryakumar Yadav and a forced inclusion in Shubman Gill. Both the batters have been failing miserably in the shortest format of the game for the last one year. 

Still, it might need to solve a big algebraic equation to understand India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s mindset behind personifying such a level of stubbornness to continue with the out-of-form players despite the fact that the World Cup is even less than two months away. 

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Does Shubman Gill really belong to the table? Numbers tell a story ‘ignored’ 

For the last couple of months, there’s been a long and serious debate around Shubman Gill’s place in India’s T20I side. But the head coach Gautam Gambhir seems to turn his deaf ear around this entire debate and the logical reasoning being given against Gill’s position in the shortest format of the game. 

Shubman Gill in T20Is (last 12 months) 

In the last one year, he has scored just 263 runs in 13 innings with an average of just 26.3 and a strike rate of 143.7, without scoring a half-century. His numbers have also been miserable in tough situations whenever the team needed him badly.

Shubman Gill from his T20I debut to December 11, 2024 (A year ago)

Talking about his numbers from his debut till last year on December 11, he had scored 578 runs in 21 innings, with a ‘not so impressive’ average of 30.4, with an ‘average’ strike rate of 139.3. He also had scored just three half-centuries and a century in a period of almost two years. 

These numbers seem enough to question coach Gambhir’s mindset and stubbornness behind the decision of imposing an out-of-form top-order on the team's plans. Gill could be a good fit in the Tests or ODIs, but his spot in the shortest format of the game gives a lot of reasons to ‘think on’ for the management if they want to succeed in their T20 World Cup plans. 

Suryakumar Yadav: How long is the ‘captaincy’ cushion going to cover him?

India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has also been in a horrific run of form with the bat since T20 World Cup 2024. He took over the captaincy after the former T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma retired from the format following India’s title win in the prestigious cricket biennial. 

Suryakumar Yadav Since T20 World Cup 2024 (as captain)

He has scored just 426 runs in 25 innings, with a miserable batting average of 19.36 and a strike rate of 146.39, hitting just two half-centuries since T20 World Cup 2024. Interestingly, he has played all these innings as captain and his batting performance alone seems to be ample to testify the fact that the ‘captaincy has ruined a batter in SKY’. 

Suryakumar Yadav as batter in T20Is

Another part that testifies the above notion is his performance before taking over the captaincy. Playing as a batter, SKY had scored 2040 runs in 58 innings, with a brilliant average of 43.40, hitting three centuries and 17 half-centuries. However, another interesting stat is there to shock that ‘Suryakumar Yadav, the part-time T20I captain’ had way better numbers than the ‘Suryakumar Yadav, the full-time T20I captain’. 

Suryakumar Yadav as part-time captain before T20 World Cup 2024

As part-time captain before taking over the full-time leadership role, he scored 300 runs in seven innings with an amazing average of 42.85, hitting a century and two half-centuries. So, there’s no doubt in coming to the fact that ‘full-time’ captaincy has exhausted the swashbuckling batter in Suryakumar Yadav. 

Conclusion: Time for Coach Gambhir to think beyond obstinacy

So, SKY’s numbers as captain, part-time captain, or as batter leaves management with only two options, either drop him from the side or use him just as a pure batter. It seems that it will be the only way to utilize his power-hitting abilities for at least 3-4 years in the near future. 

Speaking of Gill, so in his case the management and coach Gambhir need to be practical and accept the fact his current form doesn’t vouch for his place in the T20Is. 

Concluding the entire dissection, it ends with a suggestion to the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir that, ‘if you have all the powers then it is time to come out of the shell of your obstinacy and think for the betterment of India’s T20 World Cup plans’ for the sake of their defending-champions title. 

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