Shubman Gill’s journey continues: From Test masterclass to Asia Cup T20 vice-captaincy looms

Dubai: Shubman Gill’s stellar performances in Test cricket have not only made history but are also setting the stage for a new leadership role in India’s Twenty20 set-up. The 25-year-old Indian Test captain recently became the first male cricketer to claim the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award four times, thanks to a sensational display during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.

Gill’s July 2025 exploits included 567 runs in three Tests at an average of 94.50, featuring a double century and two centuries. His record-breaking 269 and 161 in the Edgbaston Test helped India secure a commanding 336-run victory. These innings saw him surpass iconic records held by Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar and set the second-highest match aggregate in Test history with 430 runs.

“It feels great to be named the ICC Player of the Month for July,” Gill said. “This time, it holds more significance since it comes during my first Test series as captain. The double ton in Birmingham is something I will cherish forever.”

This latest honour marks Gill’s fourth Player of the Month award, adding to his wins in February 2025 and January and September 2023. He is the first male cricketer to reach this milestone, joining Australia’s Ash Gardner and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews as the only players to win four monthly awards.

Flooring several records

Several records fell to Gill during that innings: he became the first Indian captain to score a Test double century on English soil, and only the second Indian skipper to hit a double hundred outside India, after Virat Kohli’s 2016 effort against the West Indies. He surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 (1979) for the highest Test score by an Indian batter in England and broke Sachin Tendulkar’s 21-year-old record of 241 to set the highest overseas score by an Indian outside India and other Asian nations.

While Gill’s historic Test performances have captivated fans and critics alike, the focus now shifts to the upcoming Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament, scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE. Reports indicate that the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, faces a challenging decision on whether to include Gill in the T20 squad — and potentially entrust him with the vice-captaincy.

Top-order logjam

The selection panel is expected to announce the squad around August 19 or 20, once medical assessments, including those for captain Suryakumar Yadav, are complete. The current T20 batting line-up — featuring Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya — has formed a settled and formidable core.

“Abhishek Sharma is the world’s No. 1 T20 batter according to ICC rankings. Sanju Samson was brilliant last season with both bat and gloves. Shubman’s IPL and Test form can’t be ignored, but the problem is there are too many performers at the top,” a BCCI insider told PTI.

This abundance of talent at the top order creates a logjam, making it difficult for players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and IPL 2025 leading scorer Sai Sudharsan to break into the squad. KL Rahul, despite being India’s first-choice ODI wicketkeeper-batsman, is unlikely to fit into the T20 set-up due to the middle-order structure.

The selectors face a classic dilemma on leadership in the shorter format. While Axar Patel wore the vice-captain armband in India’s recent home T20Is, Gill had served as deputy when Suryakumar Yadav first took over the captaincy last year.

Intriguing subplot in Indian cricket

With Gill’s red-hot form and leadership in Tests, the question is whether the selectors will reward his momentum by naming him vice-captain in T20s or maintain continuity with the current set-up.

With just weeks to go before the Asia Cup opener against UAE and the marquee clash against Pakistan on September 14, this leadership choice will be one of the tournament’s most intriguing subplots.