Shubman Gill announced as the new ODI captain of India

[harshjoshi87]

Shubman Gill has taken over the reins of India’s One-Day International side from Rohit Sharma, marking the start of a new era in Indian cricket. His first assignment will be the three-match ODI series in Australia later this month.

Gill, 26, is already India’s Test captain, having been elevated to the role in May after Rohit stepped away from red-ball cricket. His maiden outing in that capacity came in the five-Test series against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Before the leadership baton was passed to him in both formats, Gill’s only experience as India captain came in five T20Is on the 2024 tour of Zimbabwe, a stop-gap role when several senior players were rested after India’s T20 World Cup triumph.

India’s upcoming tour of Australia will be Gill’s first full-fledged challenge in the white-ball arena. The ODIs are scheduled for October 19 (Perth), October 23 (Adelaide), and October 25 (Sydney), followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8. The ODI and T20I squads are expected to be announced together.

Rohit has led India in 56 ODIs since taking charge in December 2021, replacing Virat Kohli. Under his captaincy, India reached two ICC finals: the 2023 ODI World Cup at home, where it lost to Australia, and the 2025 Champions Trophy in the UAE, which India won by defeating New Zealand.

Shubman Gill takes over ODI captaincy from Rohit Sharma, to lead in Australia

Rohit Sharma’s ODI captaincy era ends as Shubman Gill takes charge. India to face Australia in Gill’s first ODI series as skipper.

sportstar.thehindu.com

 

[harshjoshi87]

Virat Kohli led India to 65 wins out of 95 ODIs.

Rohit Sharma bettered Virat's record by winning 42 out of 56 ODIs.

Let's hope Gill goes up a step further & wins the big one in his tenure as the ODI captain.

 

[Sachin fan]

I think this is an indication than Rohit is not in India's plan for world cup 27

 

[Devadwal]

I think this is an indication than Rohit is not in India's plan for world cup 27

Rohit may not play cricket after this months. Australia series will be his last series in international cricket.

Even he May retire today or tomorrow . Good decision overall.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Rohit in trouble

 

[Sachin fan]

Rohit in trouble

So probably is Kohli, Gambhir is not a fan of carrying seniors around.

 

[harshjoshi87]

I think this is an indication than Rohit is not in India's plan for world cup 27

Rohit has lost his weight, he wants to stay in contention for WC 2027, but it looks difficult with Jaiswal & Abhishek Sharma waiting to get in.

 

[harshjoshi87]

So probably is Kohli, Gambhir is not a fan of carrying seniors around.

Yes probably end of Kohli too, both might play their last match against New Zealand in January 2026.

 

[Ball Blazer]

India has a solid team already
Seems like BCCI will not consider Rohit after this series and both, Kohli and him, may retire together

 

[Devadwal]

Rohit was playing just one format. That too ODI. No domestic cricket. His stocks were falling. It is right choice to make Gill ODI captain, gives him enough time to prepare for 2027 wc. P.S Iyer is more deserving but he is not in the good books post 2023 wc.

 

[saimayubera]

India has a solid team already
Seems like BCCI will not consider Rohit after this series and both, Kohli and him, may retire together

No. Series by series basis.

 

[RyanRyan10]

Shreyas Iyer fans will spam social media. They want him to be appointed as the captain of the Indian Hockey team too.

 

[jnaveen1980]

India's transition is officially under way. They have left out Jadeja even though they say he is in their plans. Jurel is in there as back up for Rahul. Shami dropped. Kohli and Rohit were given signals.

 

[harshjoshi87]

Gill has had tough time under pressure, except for 91 at Gabba & recent 100 vs England in the 4th test, Gill has cracked under pressure regularly. A fit Pandya/Pant would have been much better choice but Gill seems to have the blessings of the BCCI, head coach & chief selector.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Tough but the right decision. Rohit will be 40+ years old by '27.

They ought to take a call on SKY as well.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

So probably is Kohli, Gambhir is not a fan of carrying seniors around.

Kohli's fitness alone will allow him to play ODI cricket for another couple of years. Eventhough his reflexes and hand-eye coordination have been in decline for a while now, the flat pitches and strike-rotation mastery will still allow him to continue to find success in this format

Even at his age his level of fitness is one of the best in the world

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Rohit is hanging on by a thread now. Even a couple of failures will put a question mark because he's keeping Jaiswal out.

Abhishek is knocking down the door of selection too.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli's fitness alone will allow him to play ODI cricket for another couple of years. Eventhough his reflexes and hand-eye coordination have been in decline for a while now, the flat pitches and strike-rotation mastery will still allow him to continue to find success in this format

Even at his age his level of fitness is one of the best in the world

Most of KOhli era was defined by top heavy batting where Dhawan/Rohit/Kohli did bulk of the work. Going forward under Gambhir it is going to be distributed across 8 batsmen which will eliminate the 2017, 2019 moments where lower order got stumbled after one top order collapse. This is a much more sustainable approach to win tournaments than top heavy. There won't be any super heroes. But there will be a lot of mini super heroes.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Most of KOhli era was defined by top heavy batting where Dhawan/Rohit/Kohli did bulk of the work. Going forward under Gambhir it is going to be distributed across 8 batsmen which will eliminate the 2017, 2019 moments where lower order got stumbled after one top order collapse. This is a much more sustainable approach to win tournaments than top heavy. There won't be any super heroes. But there will be a lot of mini super heroes.

That's the way to go in white-ball these days. ODI is basically just an extended version of T20 at this point.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

India as a team is too big to fail, so they will do well regardless of whoever is captain. In my opinion though Shreyas Iyer looks like best option to be captain in that team.

 

[jnaveen1980]

India as a team is too big to fail, so they will do well regardless of whoever is captain. In my opinion though Shreyas Iyer looks like best option to be captain in that team.

Being captain of all 3 formats is a thankless job. It will stress you out. Kohli was a good test captain. But a poor LOI captain. He built the team poorly. I think with Gambhir team building job is not in Gill' s control anymore. He will decide the XI. The idea of opening the bowling with Dube in Asia cup final is straight out of Gambhir's coaching book.

 

[JaDed]

Good decision considering Rohit will not be the best in next 2 years, not too sure about Gill though.

 

[mango_bite77]

Rohit was playing just one format. That too ODI. No domestic cricket. His stocks were falling. It is right choice to make Gill ODI captain, gives him enough time to prepare for 2027 wc. P.S Iyer is more deserving but he is not in the good books post 2023 wc.

Always wondered why is player like Iyer not a regular member of India team ? Why is he not in good books?

 

[harshjoshi87]

Always wondered why is player like Iyer not a regular member of India team ? Why is he not in good books?

Shreyas skipped domestic cricket for some IPL practice which irked Ajit Agarkar & Gambhir. Gambhir also has some personal issues with Shreyas as he left KKR after winning the trophy in 2024. Gambhir was the head coach of KKR.

The back issue has also hampered Shreyas, but he is too good a player to miss out on the T20I side, Gill shouldn't be in T20I team, Shreyas or Jaiswal should be in that team but....

 

[harshjoshi87]

Being captain of all 3 formats is a thankless job. It will stress you out. Kohli was a good test captain. But a poor LOI captain. He built the team poorly. I think with Gambhir team building job is not in Gill' s control anymore. He will decide the XI. The idea of opening the bowling with Dube in Asia cup final is straight out of Gambhir's coaching book.

Kohli was a decent captain won 65 out of 92 matches, won almost every bilateral ODI series home & away except in England. He led India to Champions Trophy 2017 final & World Cup 2019 semi-final, bad decisions on both days knocked his team out.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli was a decent captain won 65 out of 92 matches, won almost every bilateral ODI series home & away except in England. He led India to Champions Trophy 2017 final & World Cup 2019 semi-final, bad decisions on both days knocked his team out.

No. He never built a good team. Mostly pulled through impeccable bowling/batting performances. He never built a team for "what if"scenario. He did the same with RCB for years. No results. Teams poorer than RCB won titles because they structured the team better.

 

[chakdeindian]

The way Gill is promoted for the captaincy in all the formats (soon in T20 also) doesnt seem organic..Gill being a good player, still to prove yet as a big match player and a captaincy material esp in white ball format. Shreyas has always shown better batting and proven captaincy skills. Unfortunately he is not in good books with Gambhir.

Also it's an injustice for Rohit to just get selected as a player and not a captain inspite of winning CT recently. This Indicates that he is not in scheme of things for WC2027. Rather I would have dropped him and make him to retire similar to the test or play him as a captain and give him a farewell this series..both Kohli and Rohit deserves a farewell.

 

[charlie007]

Tests and ODI are fine, but someone get Gill out of T20s!!! His game is not made for it. I suspect it’ll impact his Test and ODI batting too.
Jaiswal should be a shoo in for T20s.

 

[harshjoshi87]

No. He never built a good team. Mostly pulled through impeccable bowling/batting performances. He never built a team for "what if"scenario. He did the same with RCB for years. No results. Teams poorer than RCB won titles because they structured the team better.

no he had a good team which underperformed in two knockout matches. Dhawan-Rohit at the top, him at 3 & likes of Dhoni & Kedar at 5-6 with Pandya at 7 & Jadeja at 8. Dhoni should have crossed the line against New Zealand in 2019 semi-final with all the experience he had but he didn't deliver. Dhoni didn't even stop Kohli from bowling 1st in 2017 CT final inspite of India beating Pakistan in league match of that CT by batting first.

 

[jnaveen1980]

no he had a good team which underperformed in two knockout matches. Dhawan-Rohit at the top, him at 3 & likes of Dhoni & Kedar at 5-6 with Pandya at 7 & Jadeja at 8. Dhoni should have crossed the line against New Zealand in 2019 semi-final with all the experience he had but he didn't deliver. Dhoni didn't even stop Kohli from bowling 1st in 2017 CT final inspite of India beating Pakistan in league match of that CT by batting first.

That is the thing. He never had bowling, batting depth. Bowlers just bowled not much of batting skills. Batsmen just batted. No bowling skills. It is not one off matches. He had the strongest batting order in IPL history still couldn't win it because he always built a top heavy unit. Middle and lower order were always undercooked.

 

[harshjoshi87]

That is the thing. He never had bowling, batting depth. Bowlers just bowled not much of batting skills. Batsmen just batted. No bowling skills. It is not one off matches. He had the strongest batting order in IPL history still couldn't win it because he always built a top heavy unit. Middle and lower order were always undercooked.

Team records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

India were the best ODI side during Virat's tenure as captain. Virat had the team but few mistakes cost them the silverware.

 

[Devadwal]

Rohit is hanging on by a thread now. Even a couple of failures will put a question mark because he's keeping Jaiswal out.

Abhishek is knocking down the door of selection too.

Jaiswal
Abhishek
Gill

This should be top 3 for india followed by Iyer , KL , Parag and Pandya

 

[jnaveen1980]

Team records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

India were the best ODI side during Virat's tenure as captain. Virat had the team but few mistakes cost them the silverware.

His team was good for bilaterals. Not for tournaments. That is an art in itself. You don't need amazing players in your side. You just need a team that cover all kind of scenarios. Essentially depth. Indian batting depth won us 1983 world cup. 2007 world T20 as well. MSD promoted Yusuf to open. Had a longish line up which added us valuable runs.

 

[BouncerGuy]

BCCI is keen to make Gill the new KOHLI...

 

[harshjoshi87]

BCCI is keen to make Gill the new KOHLI...

But unfortunately Gill doesn't have the glamour of Virat & Rohit. He has rarely performed under pressure, that will be his big test now that he is captain of the ODI team.

 

[harshjoshi87]

His team was good for bilaterals. Not for tournaments. That is an art in itself. You don't need amazing players in your side. You just need a team that cover all kind of scenarios. Essentially depth. Indian batting depth won us 1983 world cup. 2007 world T20 as well. MSD promoted Yusuf to open. Had a longish line up which added us valuable runs.

Dhoni had mentally stronger players like Gambhir & Yuvraj in the team who could play serious cricket under pressure, Virat too played a 40 run knock during the CT 2013 final. Virat didn't have that luxury which ended his captaincy career with zero tournament wins.

 

[Hitman]

I just hope Virat don't play the next ODI World Cup. He is a gone case. With Rohit, I'll judge himself based on his future performance.

 

[Devadwal]

I just hope Virat don't play the next ODI World Cup. He is a gone case. With Rohit, I'll judge himself based on his future performance.

Virat chance are more than Rohit to Play next World cup .

 

[Hitman]

Virat chance are more than Rohit to Play next World cup .

Is that because of age?

 

[Devadwal]

Is that because of age?

Age , fitness, form - all of combined.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I don't know how he is in ODI and yes it is different format but he did well in the test series over a tough 5 match period.

It seems a good choice to someone like me.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Gill has had tough time under pressure, except for 91 at Gabba & recent 100 vs England in the 4th test, Gill has cracked under pressure regularly. A fit Pandya/Pant would have been much better choice but Gill seems to have the blessings of the BCCI, head coach & chief selector.

Is Pant a guarantee ODI selection?

Also I don't think BCCI rate Pandaya as a leader. I don't get that impression that he is a serious leadership contender and he probably never will be.

 

[mango_bite77]

BCCI is keen to make Gill the new KOHLI...

They should understand no one made Kohli the Kohli he is right now.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

I just hope Virat don't play the next ODI World Cup. He is a gone case. With Rohit, I'll judge himself based on his future performance.

Virat was our best batsman in Champions trophy.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Even if Rohit and Virat don't play the WC in '27, we have Jaiswal and Tilak Varma.

Tilak Varma needs to be in the Indian squad right now.

The only puzzling thing about the team announcement is Gambhir's continuous endorsement of Harshit Rana. He's not even a top prospect in IPL, let alone the Indian team.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

As much as ICT fans will miss Rohit and Kohli, let's not forget that they've had their chances. In 2015, 2019 (truly horrible performance in the semis) and 2023.

2023 was a tough pill to swallow as the Indian team was in sublime form throughout the tournament. And it's hard to pin it down to either of Rohit or Kohli (both played well enough), but the fact remains that they have had their chances in the ODI world cups so far.

 

[dravidthewall]

Effect of ODI wc 2023 loss....in past history no captain or batsman surviewed if they lost ODI wc final. Remembered me as 1996 wc final loss of Australia against srilanka..Mark tailor is eventually retired after that loss.Same case with mahela jayvardane after 2011 wc final lost....

jayvardane after 2011 wc final lost....

But not rohit Sharma fault as he played well in wc 2023 final ..it was subhmab gill rash shot that makes the downfall of Indian team in that final.

 

[harshjoshi87]

Is Pant a guarantee ODI selection?

Also I don't think BCCI rate Pandaya as a leader. I don't get that impression that he is a serious leadership contender and he probably never will be.

Pant's accident has cost him his place in ODI cricket, he had made a match & series winning 100 vs England in England back in 2022 before that car crash. He won't be part of ODI 11 until Rahul keeps performing.

Pandya has fitness issues since 2023 World Cup which is why he was dropped from T20 captaincy by Gambhir & Agarkar.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Gill weighs in on Kohli and Rohit’s role in India's ODI side

The newly appointed limited overs captain is eager to make the most of the invaluable experience India’s seasoned batting duo brings.

In a major update ahead of India’s white-ball tour of Australia, Shubman Gill was announced as India’s new ODI captain.

Already having made an impact as captain in the longest format of the game, Gill now has his attention turned towards the big prize in the 50-overs format - the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

And with the return of experienced campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI squad, Gill has opened up on their roles in the lead-up to the marquee tournament.

"Absolutely," Gill said, when asked if he saw Rohit and Kohli playing an important role in ODIs leading into the next Cricket World Cup.

"The experience the two of them have (is immense), and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India.

"There are very few players in the world with such skill and quality along with that experience, and we look at it from that perspective."

Both Sharma and Kohli are poised to return to international action for the first time since India’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph in March this year.

The veteran batting duo had been in prime form during India’s previous Cricket World Cup campaign, which saw them finish as runner-ups.

Kohli finished as the tournament’s leading run-getter, amassing 765 runs from 11 outings, averaging a staggering 95.62. Skipper at the time, Rohit led from the front with the bat and was next in the run-scoring tally, notching 597 runs at a blazing strike rate of 125.95.

Taking over the reins from Rohit, Gill believes he has inherited crucial qualities that are likely to come to his aid.

"So many qualities that I have inherited from Rohit bhai - the calmness that he possesses, and the kind of friendship that he has among the group is something that I aspire to, these are the qualities that I want to take from him.”

Named India’s Test captain earlier this summer, Gill’s first assignment in England saw him finish as the leading run-scorer in a memorable five-Test series which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Put in charge of the ODI side, Gill elaborated on the immense challenge that lies ahead of him.

"[The ODI captaincy] is obviously is a big responsibility and an even bigger honour, so I'm very excited to lead my country in that format, and yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me, but I'm really looking forward to what the future has," he said.

"I want to stay [in the] present as [much as] possible and don't really want to look back on what I've been able to achieve or what we, as a team, have been able to achieve. Just want to look forward and win everything that we have in the upcoming months."

With Gill at helm, India will kickstart their tour of Australia with the first of three ODIs on October 19 in Perth.

ICC

 

[harshjoshi87]

Gill weighs in on Kohli and Rohit’s role in India's ODI side

The newly appointed limited overs captain is eager to make the most of the invaluable experience India’s seasoned batting duo brings.

In a major update ahead of India’s white-ball tour of Australia, Shubman Gill was announced as India’s new ODI captain.

Already having made an impact as captain in the longest format of the game, Gill now has his attention turned towards the big prize in the 50-overs format - the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

And with the return of experienced campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI squad, Gill has opened up on their roles in the lead-up to the marquee tournament.

"Absolutely," Gill said, when asked if he saw Rohit and Kohli playing an important role in ODIs leading into the next Cricket World Cup.

"The experience the two of them have (is immense), and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India.

"There are very few players in the world with such skill and quality along with that experience, and we look at it from that perspective."

Both Sharma and Kohli are poised to return to international action for the first time since India’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph in March this year.

The veteran batting duo had been in prime form during India’s previous Cricket World Cup campaign, which saw them finish as runner-ups.

Kohli finished as the tournament’s leading run-getter, amassing 765 runs from 11 outings, averaging a staggering 95.62. Skipper at the time, Rohit led from the front with the bat and was next in the run-scoring tally, notching 597 runs at a blazing strike rate of 125.95.

Taking over the reins from Rohit, Gill believes he has inherited crucial qualities that are likely to come to his aid.

"So many qualities that I have inherited from Rohit bhai - the calmness that he possesses, and the kind of friendship that he has among the group is something that I aspire to, these are the qualities that I want to take from him.”

Named India’s Test captain earlier this summer, Gill’s first assignment in England saw him finish as the leading run-scorer in a memorable five-Test series which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Put in charge of the ODI side, Gill elaborated on the immense challenge that lies ahead of him.

"[The ODI captaincy] is obviously is a big responsibility and an even bigger honour, so I'm very excited to lead my country in that format, and yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me, but I'm really looking forward to what the future has," he said.

"I want to stay [in the] present as [much as] possible and don't really want to look back on what I've been able to achieve or what we, as a team, have been able to achieve. Just want to look forward and win everything that we have in the upcoming months."

With Gill at helm, India will kickstart their tour of Australia with the first of three ODIs on October 19 in Perth.

ICC

ODI captaincy shouldn't be the biggest honour, being captain of the test team should be..which he is.

 

[Red-Indian]

ODI captaincy shouldn't be the biggest honour, being captain of the test team should be..which he is.

I don't think there's point reading too much into such casual press conference statement. From what I saw in the clip, all he meant was that the captaincy was a big responsibility and a bigger honour. Nothing much to it.

He hasn't really settled into captaincy yet but unlike Pakistan's non-playing captains and our own current T20 captain, his place is secure and he seems to be a well-spoken, intelligent young man. I'm all for giving him a long run as captain.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

This is Shubman Gill's schedule. Any work-life balance advocates out there?

Shubman Gill played Asia Cup T20 final on 28th September.

4 days later, he was in Ahmedabad playing the first Test against West Indies. The series ended today, 14th October.

In 5 more days, he will be in Perth, Australia, playing the first ODI against Australia.

Then there are 5 T20Is in Australia, 4 days after the ODI series.

And then a 2-Test series vs South Africa at home.... 6 days later!

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Take into account the context switching involved between formats, and even at the age of 26, this is just madness!

And then there are the Kohli-tards and Rohitards who are waiting to jump on him even if he fails the slightest bit. Cue, even ICT fans here who are after him for being in the T20I squad over Samson.

Jaiswal needs to be in the T20I side, for sure. But Gill's numbers in IPL aren't bad at all. In fact, they are way better than Samson's.

This social media ragebaiting/venting has gone completely out of control. The guy is 26 years old; was always identified as a prodigious talent. Won the POTS in his only U19 World Cup. Has been the #1 ODI batter for some time and has scored 19 Hundreds in international cricket.

And this is still not enough!

 

[Savak]

This is Shubman Gill's schedule. Any work-life balance advocates out there?

Shubman Gill played Asia Cup T20 final on 28th September.

4 days later, he was in Ahmedabad playing the first Test against West Indies. The series ended today, 14th October.

In 5 more days, he will be in Perth, Australia, playing the first ODI against Australia.

Then there are 5 T20Is in Australia, 4 days after the ODI series.

And then a 2-Test series vs South Africa at home.... 6 days later!

He is a Jawan Larka. He can handle it. This is the age to shine and grind. Even Kohli was playing every game for India in all formats including the IPL and he adopted a ruthless workout and diet regime to ensure he was the fittest international cricketer to do so successfully.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

He is a Jawan Larka. He can handle it. This is the age to shine and grind. Even Kohli was playing every game for India in all formats including the IPL and he adopted a ruthless workout and diet regime to ensure he was the fittest international cricketer to do so successfully.

But Kohli wasn't the captain of India in 2 different formats. And even then, I don't recall this kind of crazy schedule that he participated in.

Not to mention, social media trolling wasn't remotely as bad as it is now! Sachinistas did spare him, mostly, for being good.

 

[Savak]

But Kohli wasn't the captain of India in 2 different formats. And even then, I don't recall this kind of crazy schedule that he participated in.

Not to mention, social media trolling wasn't remotely as bad as it is now! Sachinistas did spare him, mostly, for being good.

I think India has abundant T-20 options to exclude Gill. His workload can be managed by only keeping him active in Test and ODI Cricket.

Kohli has always been a mentally tough self aware true to himself player, he would never let any social media trolling effect him. However Gill does show poor body language and sometimes as if he is going to cry when things don't go his way therefore will not be surprised to see him getting affected by social media trolling.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

I think India has abundant T-20 options to exclude Gill. His workload can be managed by only keeping him active in Test and ODI Cricket.

Kohli has always been a mentally tough self aware true to himself player, he would never let any social media trolling effect him. However Gill does show poor body language and sometimes as if he is going to cry when things don't go his way therefore will not be surprised to see him getting affected by social media trolling.

They can't make him sit out the T20Is because of the World Cup. And he can't abandon the ODIs because he is now the captain.

Kohli is from Delhi. If you know Delhites (Gambhir, Sehwag, Manoj Prabhakar), you wouldn't be surprised to know that he loved a scrap and it used to fire him up. It worked like a charm for years, until it didn't. For 4-5 years, he looked like a fool for his on-field antics when he was just a passenger in the team.

Gill is a Punjabi Sikh. But more reserved and humble in his demeanor. A lot more quiet and hard working. And he has self-belief in abundance, even if he isn't shouting from the rooftops about it.

 

[pillionrider]

Much as Rohit has been my favourite batsman of his generation ever since his debut, there's really no point having him in the team with an eye on the WC, 2 years away. Even as captain, he was playing blinders because his ability to play long knocks has been waning. Any ODI WC winning team usually has a mix of experience and youngsta beautys, but in two years' time, a Bumrah, Pant, Gill, Iyer and even a Rahul (if he's still around then) are more than enough. Also, if you consistently play Jaiswal in good tournaments and bilaterals, couple years experience is enough for him as he's been a test player for a while now. Pant is an absolute must. Jurel is literally no comparison with him.

Kohli should also be out. He has zero to offer and is an embarrassment to his legacy and getting painful to watch now.

 

[harshjoshi87]

This is Shubman Gill's schedule. Any work-life balance advocates out there?

Shubman Gill played Asia Cup T20 final on 28th September.

4 days later, he was in Ahmedabad playing the first Test against West Indies. The series ended today, 14th October.

In 5 more days, he will be in Perth, Australia, playing the first ODI against Australia.

Then there are 5 T20Is in Australia, 4 days after the ODI series.

And then a 2-Test series vs South Africa at home.... 6 days later!

Gill shouldn't be in the T20I team, Samson should have been opening, middle order spot would have been anyone of Pant, Rinku, Reddy.

 

[harshjoshi87]

Take into account the context switching involved between formats, and even at the age of 26, this is just madness!

And then there are the Kohli-tards and Rohitards who are waiting to jump on him even if he fails the slightest bit. Cue, even ICT fans here who are after him for being in the T20I squad over Samson.

Jaiswal needs to be in the T20I side, for sure. But Gill's numbers in IPL aren't bad at all. In fact, they are way better than Samson's.

This social media ragebaiting/venting has gone completely out of control. The guy is 26 years old; was always identified as a prodigious talent. Won the POTS in his only U19 World Cup. Has been the #1 ODI batter for some time and has scored 19 Hundreds in international cricket.

And this is still not enough!

You missed one point, Gill regularly buckles down under pressure be it 2023 WC final, 2021 & 2023 WTC final, Lord's test where we were chasing 190, recent Asia Cup final. Except the 91 at Gabba chasing 328 & 100 in drawn 4th test in England, Gill hasn't clicked under pressure.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Gill shouldn't be in the T20I team, Samson should have been opening, middle order spot would have been anyone of Pant, Rinku, Reddy.

Samson's stats in IPL aren't anywhere close to Gill's. It's not even close.

And please don't bring up Samson's hundreds on flat wickets against the likes of Bangladesh. ICT fans have got everything about Sanju Samson wrong.

Samson is not the fittest guy around. He struggles against quality pace and spin.

Most importantly, he's not a generational talent like Gill.

 

[harshjoshi87]

Samson's stats in IPL aren't anywhere close to Gill's. It's not even close.

And please don't bring up Samson's hundreds on flat wickets against the likes of Bangladesh. ICT fans have got everything about Sanju Samson wrong.

Samson is not the fittest guy around. He struggles against quality pace and spin.

Most importantly, he's not a generational talent like Gill.

Samson got a match & series winning 100 in 3rd ODI in South Africa in December 2023. He hasn't played an ODI for India since then.

Gill's IPL runs on highway in Ahmedabad doesn't matter. I like Gill, he is our key batsman in ODIs & test cricket but he shouldn't be near the T20I team.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

You missed one point, Gill regularly buckles down under pressure be it 2023 WC final, 2021 & 2023 WTC final, Lord's test where we were chasing 190, recent Asia Cup final. Except the 91 at Gabba chasing 328 & 100 in drawn 4th test in England, Gill hasn't clicked under pressure.

2021 WTC final. How old was he then?

In the recent Asia Cup final, heh was not the ONLY ONE who flopped.

The sample size is too small. Kohli, apart from the 30 odd in 2011, flopped in ODI knock-outs too. Just saying!

I have mentioned this earlier -- Gill scored 102 not out in the U-19 SF against Pak. Apart from the innings you have quoted, he also scored a very crucial 50 not out against England when India had lost 6 wickets for 35 runs, while chasing 190 odd.

It was him and Jurel who took India over the line.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Samson got a match & series winning 100 in 3rd ODI in South Africa in December 2023. He hasn't played an ODI for India since then.

Gill's IPL runs on highway in Ahmedabad doesn't matter. I like Gill, he is our key batsman in ODIs & test cricket but he shouldn't be near the T20I team.

Against a bowling lineup of Lizaad Williams, Burger etc.

Yeah, that's a world class knock, all right!

Gill scored 890 runs in a single IPL season. 7 or 8 of those games were not in Ahmedabad.

Also, since Gill's IPL runs in Ahmedabad don't matter, Abhishek's runs on pattas in Hyderabad also shouldn't matter!

Drop Abhishek, the IPL fraud too.

 

[Red-Indian]

Much as Rohit has been my favourite batsman of his generation ever since his debut, there's really no point having him in the team with an eye on the WC, 2 years away. Even as captain, he was playing blinders because his ability to play long knocks has been waning. Any ODI WC winning team usually has a mix of experience and youngsta beautys, but in two years' time, a Bumrah, Pant, Gill, Iyer and even a Rahul (if he's still around then) are more than enough. Also, if you consistently play Jaiswal in good tournaments and bilaterals, couple years experience is enough for him as he's been a test player for a while now. Pant is an absolute must. Jurel is literally no comparison with him.

Kohli should also be out. He has zero to offer and is an embarrassment to his legacy and getting painful to watch now.

I think we have clarity on Rohit's replacement and there's a sense of everyone waiting on the inevitable Jaiswal takeover to make the perfect left-right fire....and slightly less fire combination to open ODIs.

Kohli's slot when he does retire/get dropped is less clear. I'm not inclined to trust Pant with it. He doesn't have the accumulative nature needed at 3. I'm actually in favour of moving Rahul move up - used to opening, excellent ODI average and can tuk-tuk when needed. He's not a natural at the 5 he's playing at nowadays.

That makes

Jaiswal
Gill
Rahul
Iyer
XX
Pandya
Axar
Spinner/Quick depending on the surface
Kuldeep
Arshdeep
Bumrah

5 will need a high quality finisher with the ability to stabilise in a collapse. Options are Pant, Jurel or someone from the T20 setup like Tilak, Samson, Rinku, Parag.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

I think we have clarity on Rohit's replacement and there's a sense of everyone waiting on the inevitable Jaiswal takeover to make the perfect left-right fire....and slightly less fire combination to open ODIs.

Kohli's slot when he does retire/get dropped is less clear. I'm not inclined to trust Pant with it. He doesn't have the accumulative nature needed at 3. I'm actually in favour of moving Rahul move up - used to opening, excellent ODI average and can tuk-tuk when needed. He's not a natural at the 5 he's playing at nowadays.

That makes

Jaiswal
Gill
Rahul
Iyer
XX
Pandya
Axar
Spinner/Quick depending on the surface
Kuldeep
Arshdeep
Bumrah

5 will need a high quality finisher with the ability to stabilise in a collapse. Options are Pant, Jurel or someone from the T20 setup like Tilak, Samson, Rinku, Parag.

I would pick Tilak Varma and groom him for the #3 position. Rahul takes up too many balls to get going and if he keeps wickets, does not need to bat that high.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

This is Gill's record in IPL at all venues:


And this is Samson's:

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Interestingly, Gill has a higher SR at Samson's home ground, and of course, his own "flat deck" where Samson scores at 133!

 

[Red-Indian]

I would pick Tilak Varma and groom him for the #3 position. Rahul takes up too many balls to get going and if he keeps wickets, does not need to bat that high.

Yeah he's done decently well lower down the order so I wouldn't be against keeping him down there because you're right - he does have a tendency to freeze under the headlights and start eating up balls. 93 is a decent though not great strike rate at 5-6.

Averages 53 with a 93 strike rate at 5-6 Vs. 49 at 88 for his career. Decent sample size

He's surprisingly become an essential part of our ODI setup though. Not only is a solid wicketkeeper, he has excellent judgement on reviews and of course he's a solid bat with a 50 average.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Sanju Samson is a very good T20 player but apart from a season or two, he has been inconsistent. For almost all seasons, he would play one or two great knocks and then slowly taper off.

He was absolutely a great prospect when he turned up for RR when he was 18, thanks to Rahul Dravid.

He is 31 right now and not the most athletic player either. If he's not playing in the top 3, he shouldn't be playing in T20s at all.

Gambhir committed a big blunder, I think, by making him play lower down the order. It should have been Jitesh all along.

That's just the sad reality of the abundance of talent in Indian Cricket right now. If Jaiswal (and some would argue, a much improved Shreyas Iyer) isn't playing T20s for India, Samson isn't an option at all.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

The plot for Gill vs Samson is since Gill joined Gujrat Titans. This is his overall IPL record:


It is still better than Samson's but since he joined GT, he has taken his batting to a different level.

 

[Red-Indian]

Sanju Samson is a very good T20 player but apart from a season or two, he has been inconsistent. For almost all seasons, he would play one or two great knocks and then slowly taper off.

He was absolutely a great prospect when he turned up for RR when he was 18, thanks to Rahul Dravid.

He is 31 right now and not the most athletic player either. If he's not playing in the top 3, he shouldn't be playing in T20s at all.

Gambhir committed a big blunder, I think, by making him play lower down the order. It should have been Jitesh all along.

That's just the sad reality of the abundance of talent in Indian Cricket right now. If Jaiswal (and some would argue, a much improved Shreyas Iyer) isn't playing T20s for India, Samson isn't an option at all.

Problem is Jitesh is no spring chicken either and we do need a wicketkeeper so can't just drop someone like Rinku in there. There's no perfect choice between Samson and Jitesh for T20s and I don't blame the selectors for wanting to give Samson a run given that he's delivered (albeit as an opener) over the last year and a bit.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Problem is Jitesh is no spring chicken either and we do need a wicketkeeper so can't just drop someone like Rinku in there. There's no perfect choice between Samson and Jitesh for T20s and I don't blame the selectors for wanting to give Samson a run given that he's delivered (albeit as an opener) over the last year and a bit.

Samson has higher ceiling. They are hoping he will repeat what he does at the top. He has 3 centuries. So they see him sa a match winner. He can go big once set. Also it is such a massive advantage to have your keeper open the innings. It frees up a spot.

 

[harshjoshi87]

Against a bowling lineup of Lizaad Williams, Burger etc.

Yeah, that's a world class knock, all right!

Gill scored 890 runs in a single IPL season. 7 or 8 of those games were not in Ahmedabad.

Also, since Gill's IPL runs in Ahmedabad don't matter, Abhishek's runs on pattas in Hyderabad also shouldn't matter!

Drop Abhishek, the IPL fraud too.

Most Indian posters here don't want Gill in the T20I team. BCCI just needs a poster boy now that Rohit & Virat are nearing retirement.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Samson has higher ceiling. They are hoping he will repeat what he does at the top. He has 3 centuries. So they see him sa a match winner. He can go big once set. Also it is such a massive advantage to have your keeper open the innings. It frees up a spot.

@Red-Indian @jnaveen1980

I understand the argument for Samson at the top. But his record in the series against England, which wasn't a quality attack, apart from Archer, was poor. Out of his 42 innings, he has just one knock which can be called great. In that knock against SA too, there was only one bowler playing with some pedigree (Keshav Maharaj). His other 2 Hundreds came in matches where everyone was scoring runs for fun (Tilak Varma completely outscored him in one of those games).

There is not a lot of evidence to suggest that he could bat against high class bowling at the top. In the middle overs and later, Jitesh is definitely a better option with his power. Jitesh is fitter too, in comparison. I understand Jitesh isn't very young, but he is definitely in better shape compared to Samson.

Overall, I'm not convinced Samson is the right choice for T20Is. He isn't the best gloveman on display either.

I'm afraid, Samson, lower down the order, could really cost us games.

 

[jnaveen1980]

@Red-Indian @jnaveen1980

I understand the argument for Samson at the top. But his record in the series against England, which wasn't a quality attack, apart from Archer, was poor. Out of his 42 innings, he has just one knock which can be called great. In that knock against SA too, there was only one bowler playing with some pedigree (Keshav Maharaj). His other 2 Hundreds came in matches where everyone was scoring runs for fun (Tilak Varma completely outscored him in one of those games).

There is not a lot of evidence to suggest that he could bat against high class bowling at the top. In the middle overs and later, Jitesh is definitely a better option with his power. Jitesh is fitter too, in comparison. I understand Jitesh isn't very young, but he is definitely in better shape compared to Samson.

Overall, I'm not convinced Samson is the right choice for T20Is. He isn't the best gloveman on display either.

I'm afraid, Samson, lower down the order, could really cost us games.

Samson at the top was very selfless. Getting out early was part and parcel of their approach. Nothing to do with quality of the attack. Their job is to play high risk game. Not tuk tuking safely for 6 overs. One of the reason INdia was looking a dangerous unit because of this approach from everyone. Abhishek can get out 3 or 4 matches in a row like Samson did. That is their role. Gill is batting like Kohli as opener. Atleast Rohit corrected himself in the last 2 years of his T20 career. Entire team was full of x factor players. Now Gill has upset the balance. Jitesh is at best a cameo merchant who may or may not click. Samson can pick 20 runs in one over easily. ALso Samson can tone down and play normal cricket if needed like he did in the Asia cup final

Samson most runs in one over

vs BD 30 runs, 2024
vs Srilanka 22 runs 2022
vs England 22 runs 2025

Gill's maximum runs in one over is only 17. JIesh 13. SOoner they realize is the better. Having keeper as your dasher up the order is a bonus. His wicket can be sacrificed.

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Most Indian posters here don't want Gill in the T20I team. BCCI just needs a poster boy now that Rohit & Virat are nearing retirement.

That's my whole point. Based on what? Emotions? It's certainly not based on stats and numbers (or logic).

There is a solid argument that Jaiswal needs to be in the team in place of Gill. I can understand that point of view, yes.

I can't understand Samson replacing Gill.

Regarding BCCI wanting a poster boy, that's just an opinion, not a fact.

Gill's stats, both in First Class Cricket and List A are very good. His stats in the IPL are also very, very good. He has also captained his IPL team to the play-offs.

He has better stats than Kohli in Under-19 ODIs, in fact better than anyone in Under-19 ODI history! Average of 104.4 and a SR of 103.

Why would the BCCI choose anyone else but him?

 

[bunda_bindaas]

Samson at the top was very selfless. Getting out early was part and parcel of their approach. Nothing to do with quality of the attack. Their job is to play high risk game. Not tuk tuking safely for 6 overs. One of the reason INdia was looking a dangerous unit because of this approach from everyone. Abhishek can get out 3 or 4 matches in a row like Samson did. That is their role. Gill is batting like Kohli as opener. Atleast Rohit corrected himself in the last 2 years of his T20 career. Entire team was full of x factor players. Now Gill has upset the balance. Jitesh is at best a cameo merchant who may or may not click. Samson can pick 20 runs in one over easily. ALso Samson can tone down and play normal cricket if needed like he did in the Asia cup final

Samson most runs in one over

vs BD 30 runs, 2024
vs Srilanka 22 runs 2022
vs England 22 runs 2025

Gill's maximum runs in one over is only 17. JIesh 13. SOoner they realize is the better. Having keeper as your dasher up the order is a bonus. His wicket can be sacrificed.

He scored 50 runs in 5 matches against England. Is it really worth it? His SR never went beyond 130 in the entire series.

Also, Gill, especially in the Asia Cup, was NOT batting like Kohli. He was going after the bowling from ball 1!

His SR in the Asia Cup was 152.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He scored 50 runs in 5 matches against England. Is it really worth it? His SR never went beyond 130 in the entire series.

Also, Gill, especially in the Asia Cup, was NOT batting like Kohli. He was going after the bowling from ball 1!

His SR in the Asia Cup was 152.

Abhishek sharma scored 35 runs in 3 matches against Bangladesh. Then he made 97 runs in 4 matches in SA. That is 2 average series in a row. They didn't drop him. Look at SKY. Failing in every single series. Gill hardly attempted to hit six or anything when he had opportunity to play in the most easiest batting position at UAE> If Gill had batted outside power play he would have been cluelessly found out.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

This is Shubman Gill's schedule. Any work-life balance advocates out there?

Shubman Gill played Asia Cup T20 final on 28th September.

4 days later, he was in Ahmedabad playing the first Test against West Indies. The series ended today, 14th October.

In 5 more days, he will be in Perth, Australia, playing the first ODI against Australia.

Then there are 5 T20Is in Australia, 4 days after the ODI series.

And then a 2-Test series vs South Africa at home.... 6 days later!

He should rest for some of the t20is v Australia.

But he is at his peak. He can make hay while th sun is shining