New Delhi: The Indian cricket team returned to action on 10 September after more than a month, amidst passionate debate around whether they should take part in the Asia Cup at all, given that Pakistan is the host.
That debate was settled on 19 August when India announced a 15-member squad for the continental showpiece. However, the composition of the squad sparked another curiosity—who will be playing in the first game against the United Arab Emirates? While it was certain that a returning Shubman Gill would come into the XI, and most likely as an opener, his call-up in the shortest format changed things at a wholesale level.
Sanju Samson, who was batting at the top of the order alongside Abhishek Sharma, was slotted in the middle order after days of speculation about his place in the side. While the debate around Gill’s inclusion in the side and his elevation as a vice-captain continued to engross social media, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took an unapologetic stand.
Perhaps it recognised that the most critical issue on fans’ minds was Gill’s inclusion, so when it posted the playing XI against the UAE on X, it used a poster of the newly appointed vice captain rather than Suryakumar Yadav, the captain.
The board, as well as the game’s ecosystem, including broadcasters, hyping individual players, is not a new phenomenon in Indian cricket. Remember Mahendra Singh Dhoni and, most importantly, Virat Kohli—the megastars whose names and visuals would be all around, from the board and broadcasters’ social media to TV screens. That brought eyeballs and revenue.
By all indications, it’s going to be Gill’s time now. And the man from Fazilka seems to be on the right course.
#TeamIndia's Playing XI for #INDvUAE 🙌
Who will get the first breakthrough for us? 🤔
Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/Bmq1j2LGnG#AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/7rgesh2nNq
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 10, 2025
He did well against England, both as a captain and a batter in his debut series as a leader, ending up as the highest run scorer across the two teams and restricting the English to a well-fought 2-2 draw in tough conditions. And in all likelihood, he seems set to take over the mantle from Rohit Sharma whenever he calls it a day as the ODI captain.
This makes him the only Indian cricketer who, at present, seems to be an all-format superstar. Jasprit Bumrah, the best fast bowler that India has ever produced, is also in that league, but he doesn’t play all India matches to manage his workload.
Gill’s elevation seems a strategic BCCI move to achieve its grand objective—to have a face across formats that can be marketed to generate financial rewards and attract fans to stadiums in large numbers.
Gill serves that objective well, both on and off the field. The BCCI has become an enviable financial behemoth. And the market realities of the cricketing ecosystem dictate it cannot afford a blip in the market value of even a bilateral series.
Also Read: In Asia Cup, India hope Shubhman-Suryakumar duo clicks before T20 World Cup
The first-choice man
Asked about Gill’s return to the side, both Suryakumar and the Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar stuck to a common theme.
“Gill was always part of the first-choice Indian T20 side. He missed out due to other commitments and injuries. Still, the leadership group has always believed in his potential,” Surya told a press conference last month after the selection of the squad for the Asia Cup.
𝘼 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙨! 🤩
India’s Men's & Women's team are all set for major cricket battles ahead. Let the roar begin! 💙🇮🇳#IndianCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/wbBKYHB4zT
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 11, 2025
Agarkar did not miss bringing his superlative form in the Test format to back Gill’s selection, saying that his performances in England proved that he excels with the bat under pressure as a captain.
“He was the vice-captain when we played in Sri Lanka. But after that, he was busy with Test cricket. We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. He exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” Agarkar had told the same press conference.
The Indian team has suffered in the past by picking players in one format based on their form in the other, but it would be premature to suggest the story of Gill in T20I could go that way. At least, numbers in the shortest format do not suggest so.
He has significantly improved his game over the previous few seasons of the IPL, as evidenced by a substantial increase in his strike rate from 128.72 in the first four years (2018-22) to 150.97 since the 2023 edition.
Gill had announced his arrival in the IPL in 2018 as a prodigy from the U-19 World Cup, but could not achieve either consistent run-scoring or a fearsome strike rate.
However, he came of age during the 2023 IPL for the Gujarat Titans when he was appointed the skipper of the side in the wake of Hardik Pandya’s return to the Mumbai Indians, telling everyone he thrives under the added responsibility of leadership on his shoulders.
There are arguments if the likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad could be a better opener for India in the shortest format. All of that is immaterial, not for the lack of substance in them, but for the choice the BCCI has clearly made.
That Shubman Gill would take the baton from Virat Kohli in becoming India’s next superstar cricketer, who would pull crowds and endorsements into the game and subsequently money into the coffers, was never in doubt. And that is playing out now—a batting prodigy growing into a genuine all-format superstar.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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