Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order have been quite attacking at the top of the order for India in T20Is in recent times. However, with Shubman Gill’s inclusion in the squad for the 2025 Asia Cup and also as the vice-captain, it is likely he will start in the side, and with Samson and Gill both competing for the opening spot, former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin feels the former’s position is under threat.
“What is sadder is that you have announced Gill as the vice-captain, so Sanju Samson’s place is also under threat. Sanju is not going to play. Shubman Gill will play, and he will open the batting,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel in Ash ki Baat. “Genuinely, I understand Shubman Gill’s selection. He is also the vice-captain. He has scored a lot of runs for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He has credentials to be picked in the T20I setup,” he added.
Ashwin would also empathise with the selectors job: “See, I understand that selection is a thankless job. Leaving somebody out, telling someone they are dropped, it is not an easy thing. You have to speak to the players, you have to go through the sadness. I just hope Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were given a call, and they were told the reasons behind not being picked,” Ashwin said.
“When you have Yashasvi Jaiswal as the third opener in the T20 World Cup 2024, to remove someone from the World Cup squad and bring in Shubman Gill. I mean, it’s okay, I am happy for Shubman, but I’m very sad for both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer. It is just not fair to these two kids,” said Ashwin.
“Jaiswal has also been in some fine form. Maybe they are thinking of Shubman Gill as the leader for the future. Maybe he can be the all-format captain. But it is not necessary to have the same captain in all formats,” Ashwin added.
