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Shubman Gill's form comparison with Suryakumar Yadav laid bare; India's T20 captain extended support: ‘He earned this’
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif highlighted the differences between the cases of Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav.
The fallout from India's T20 World Cup squad announcement continues. No one expected Shubman Gill, the designated vice-captain, to be dropped from the 15-member team for the 20-team tournament. But the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, did just that. The right-handed batter, aged 26, did not set the stage on fire in the 15 T20Is he played in 2025, scoring 291 runs at a strike rate of less than 138. Gill made a comeback into the T20 fold in the Asia Cup, and his inclusion paved the way for Sanju Samson to be sidelined.
However, Gill failed to get going as an opener as he was unable to force the pace at the top, with the bulk of the responsibility falling on Abhishek Sharma's shoulders. Earlier, both Abhishek and Sanju used to go hell for leather right from ball number one, more often than not leading to the team eventually scoring more than 220.
Gill's numbers might be bad, but they are still better than captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has scored just 218 runs in 2025 with an average of less than 14. His strike rate is also down to less than 118, and there are some who feel that if Gill was dropped, then what made Suryakumar escape the same feat despite having worse numbers?
Also Read: BCCI forced Shubman Gill out of Ahmedabad T20I; neither Gambhir nor Suryakumar told him he was getting dropped
However, former India batter Mohammad Kaif believes that the cases of Suryakumar and Gill are completely different, as the former is a proven match-winner in T20Is, while the same cannot be said about India's Test and ODI captain.
“There is a difference in the cases of Gill and Surya. Surya has been a proven match-winner in T20s. He has been on top of the ICC rankings and won games as well. We can't compare the two here. Gill had to prove himself in this format in the Indian team,” Kaif said on YouTube.
“Take Kohli for example, he did not score for those two years during COVID but because he had a great record and a match-winner for 10 years or so, you backed him on his reputation and he got out of that phase and started scoring again. Surya is also in this category. Gill is nowhere close to Surya in this format. Saying you should remove both if they are not in form is not right here. Surya has earned this,” he added.
‘Surya needs to be backed’
The former India batter also believes that Suryakumar can still get the job done for the team and his performances need analysis rather than people calling for him to be dropped this close to a World Cup.
“He cannot be dropped. In Surya's case, he has to be backed. You need to focus on where he is making mistakes and why he is not able to score. Is it because of the captaincy? Is that pressure getting to him? That is the question,” Kaif said.
“He is a solid player in this format. The question is how he can get out of this phase. He needs to assess whether he is putting his energy elsewhere and whether his technique is exposed. He has to find these answers,” he added.
With Gill being shown the door, Axar Patel was named as the vice-captain and the all-rounder will serve as Suryakumar's deputy in the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup.
