Follow UsShubman Gill has already proven doubters wrong, with a stellar leadership 101 in the recently concluded series against England, where India drew 2-2. Gill had it all - tactical prowess, ferocity and more importantly, didn’t falter in his main skillset, with the bat.
If you asked any Indian fan whether Gill will be a captaincy material in any format, their first answer would have been ODIs, because that is his favourite format. While Gill's place in the Asia Cup 2025 squad isn't confirmed yet, he should surely be the first-choice candidate if India are to name the same captain across white-ball formats.
Here are three big reasons why Gill should be India’s next white-ball captain
Normally, leadership duties add pressure on your best run-scorer. Look at Root, Sachin, or some other greats, for example. But in Gill’s case, that hasn’t been true, as the 26-year-old has already shown that if anything, his batting game gets better when he leads the team.
Since IPL 2024, no captain has scored more runs than Gill, with the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) skipper smashing 1,076 runs in just 27 innings, averaging 44.83, with eight half-centuries and one century. His 754 runs as captain in England also add to the point.
Gill is not new to pressure either, when he led the Indian team to success in the Test format, where they drew the series against England 2-2. Otherwise, too, Gill oversaw a Gujarat Titans’ side in transition to the playoffs after Hardik Pandya left the franchise in a trade move to Mumbai Indians.
During the Titans’ run to the playoffs in 2025, Gill’s stature as a captain kept rising, and he aced the litmus test.
While you can question Gill’s place in T20Is, there’s no doubt over his place in the 50-over format. The 26-year-old is the first name in India’s team sheet in ODI format, with over 2,700 runs at an average of 59.04, one of the highest in modern-day cricket.
Since 2022, no Indian batter has scored more runs than Gill in the 50-over format, and the right-handed opener has a superior strike rate of 100.4, with 15 fifties and eight hundreds. Unlike Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma, who play just the one format now, having someone like Gill, who plays both formats solves India's leadership headaches.