Asia Cup: Shubman Gill is breathing down Suryakumar Yadav's neck

New Delhi: At the start of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, keyboard warriors had written off Shubman Gill before he could even take strike. His 754 runs in the Test series and series-levelling captaincy, as chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar rightly mentioned, "exceeded expectations." And Gill's elevation to India's T20I vice-captaincy is no fluke.Remember the India tour of Zimbabwe in 2024, which happened right after India's title triumph in the USA and Caribbean? Gill was the captain of the young Indian team, and the signs were clear that the selectors wanted him in the leadership role. Two years ago, he got the captaincy of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In his second season, he led his team to the playoffs and then the gruelling five-match Test series in England, where he further stamped his authority.

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In Indian cricket, a lot can happen in seven hours, let alone the seven months to the T20 World Cup. Shubman was labelled a misfit for T20Is, and here he is going to the Asia Cup as deputy to Suryakumar Yadav, and it makes sense he could lead the team in the 2026 T20I World Cup.Is Gill breathing down Surya's neck? The simple answer is yes.Suryakumar Yadav is still recovering from the sports hernia surgery, and TimesofIndia.com has learnt that he is not yet 100 per cent fit.

The selectors have taken a gamble that he will regain his full fitness by the time the Asia Cup kicks off in the UAE next month.

Surya is also not getting any younger, and in the middle of the Asia Cup, he would turn 35. This is Surya's third surgery in as many years. After an ankle surgery in 2023, the swashbuckling batter had previously undergone the same sports hernia surgery back in 2024. The recurring injuries has ended careers, and we know what happened with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Management's back-upChief selector Ajit Agarkar has hinted that Shubman Gill is someone they are looking forward to as a captain across formats.“In both T20 cricket (IPL) and Test cricket Gill is already leading. He was also the vice-captain the last time he played in T20Is. We do see leadership qualities in him, and he showed his quality by exceeding expectations with the bat in England (during the Test series),” Agarkar told reporters on Tuesday.

Why is Shubman the right pick?Since the time Gambhir took over the coaching role after India won the T20 World Cup, he has set a template, where he has created room for the IPL generation to take over. Since then, India's batting has reached new heights. A team that prioritises quick scoring and batting depth was able to routinely break the 250-run barrier. They went as high as 297 against Bangladesh in October 2024, which is the third-highest total in T20Is.Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are pivotal to coach Gambhir's template. But they are a high-risk, high-reward kind of opening pair. Gambhir would not want, in a final, India to be 0/2. Shubman's inclusion will most certainly provide stability at one end, with his roommate since U-14 days, Abhishek Sharma, having the luxury to attack right from the outset.Filling big voidWith Shubman Gill, India have found a suitable face to fill the big void left by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

With his elegant strokeplay, calm demeanour, and youthful appeal, he has already become a fan favourite and with the advertisers.Suryakumar Yadav has had an impressive track record as India’s full-time T20I captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the format following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Under his leadership, India have won 17 out of 22 matches.There is no question about Surya the T20I batter -- he can entertain the crowd. But can he fill stadiums? The answer to that question is again no.