Gill was appointed ODI captain, with Iyer named as his deputy.
Shubman Gill has taken over the ODI captaincy baton with a fair share of criticism and scrutiny. As if succeeding Rohit Sharma wasn’t enough, his promotion ahead of Shreyas Iyer has only added to the debate. This, even though he was always the most obvious choice, sooner or later.
When Gill was announced as vice-captain in the Asia Cup 2025, it was clear that the team sees him as the next all-format leader. In ODIs, he always had the best chance to get it first, even though Rohit’s retirement opened the Test opportunity. With an average of 59.04 and eight centuries already, he has stamped his authority as a batter, and this was always going to be his best format, both as a batter and a leader.
Firstly, Ajit Agarkar clarified that it was ‘practically impossible’ to have different captains for different formats. So, Gill was surely ahead of other names, including Iyer, in the captaincy race. But more than that, multiple reasons went into his favour, starting from his batting capabilities.
As good as Iyer has been in the format, Gill still has a higher ceiling with a more all-rounded game, and his ODI numbers are also better. If there’s any batter perfectly suited for the next World Cup in South Africa, it has to be Gill, who has a superior backfoot game against pace to succeed in those conditions. Sure, Iyer has improved massively, but his skills have yet to be tested on actual bouncy and fast pitches.
So, there are still doubts over his real improvement, but in Gill, the management gets an assurance as a player at least. That leads to why he is an all-format batter, unlike Iyer, who has been limited to ODIs in recent years. Maybe Iyer deserves a spot in T20Is, but if he is not in the squad, for whatever reason, he cannot be considered for captaincy.
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While he has shown the leadership potential – for which he has been awarded ODI vice-captaincy – his intermittent presence across formats makes it harder to rely on him for long-term captaincy plans. Meanwhile, Gill is part of the leadership group in other formats and understands how to manage players better than Iyer. There’s a reason why India have always emphasised all-format captains; they have a better grasp of their resources and don’t need a totally separate conversation with the coaching department every time.
Recently, Iyer took a break from red-ball cricket to maintain his recurring back issues. That suggests he will have fitness issues at times, even if he plays only white-ball cricket. There can be times when his issues exacerbate to the extent that he requires extensive management.
Back injury will only flare with age, and Iyer, 30, might be unsure about participating regularly in future. Obviously, injuries can occur to anyone at any time, but selectors and other relevant members can only control what’s present. As of now, Iyer is more vulnerable, and back issues never disappear completely, no matter what.
In Gill, the team will at least get a player available for an extended period. Then, he is also younger and will be a more long-term option than Iyer, someone who can lead in at least two World Cups. Iyer is not even certain to succeed in South Africa, and the team can’t plan that far with him.
Additionally, Gill has already received praise from younger and senior players for his leadership abilities and is widely regarded for his tactical acumen. His bowler rotations and field placements were spot-on in England. That was his maiden permanent assignment, in the trickiest format with a fairly young group.
It’s about maintaining continuity, and India’s philosophy over the years has been one leader for all formats. Soon, Gill will succeed Suryakumar in T20Is as well, with the groundwork laid through his vice-captaincy. Iyer may have every reason to feel aggrieved, but in the grand scheme, Gill remains the right choice.
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