Shubman Gill’s recent promotion to ODI captain with former skipper and batting stalwart Rohit Sharma still active in the format created quite a stir. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar justified the decision with a focus on the future where Gill can eventually become an all-format captain.
While it is expected that Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side in the 2026 T20 World Cup next, Gill, who is now the Test and ODI skipper, will take over the reins of the side in the shortest format following the ICC event.
However, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa outright disagreed with BCCI’s goals and claimed that Gill will not become a leader in the T20I format. Instead, he named discarded batter Shreyas Iyer, who last featured in Champions Trophy 2025 and was absent in the England tour and the recent Asia Cup 2025, as the future T20I leader for India.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Uthappa said,
“I get One Day and Test cricket, and I think he’s a solid pick in Test cricket, and he’s shown us that as well. As far as ODI cricket is concerned, I think his numbers are good, but I think they’ll get better for a player of his caliber. I think they will look at Shreyas Iyer as a captain in T20. Shubman Gill, he still has to earn that spot.”
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The dynamic middle-order batter who was recently promoted to the vice captain’s role for the upcoming three-match ODI series in Australia has now completely dedicated himself to white-ball format.
Iyer recently wrote to the BCCI requesting to take a six-month break from Test cricket due to his injury issues and has been granted the leave by the Indian board.
Given the current situation, it is clear Iyer wants to completely commit himself to limited-overs cricket and there remains a chance that Uthappa’s words might just become a plausible reality in the future.
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