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India’s pace bowler Mohammed Shami has lent his support to Shubman Gill amidst the scrutiny surrounding Gill’s position in the team. Gill was recently named India’s vice-captain for the white-ball series in Sri Lanka.
Gill’s selection over Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had an impressive outing in Zimbabwe, raised eyebrows as Gaikwad was not included in any of the squads. Despite questions over his T20I performance, Gill, at just 24, is already being earmarked as a future captain of India.
This belief in his leadership potential likely contributed to his appointment as vice-captain, alongside his established batting prowess in ODIs where he played a pivotal role in India’s journey to the 2023 World Cup final.
Mohammed Shami supports Shubman Gill as India’s future captain.
During an interview on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel, Mohammed Shami expressed his support for Shubman Gill as a future leader of the team. Shami emphasized the importance of trusting players like Gill for leadership roles, noting that no one is flawless and performance on the field ultimately determines success, not just the captaincy.
“He (Shubman Gill) has led the team in the IPL as well. Koi upar se seekh ke toh aata nahi. You have to trust someone for captaincy as nobody is perfect. He has led the team (Gujarat Titans) the whole IPL season and also led them well. If your players don’t perform, you can’t blame the captain,” Shami said.
Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami are teammates at Gujarat Titans in the IPL, where Gill has taken on the role of captaincy for the first time this season. Unfortunately, Shami was unable to participate in IPL 2024 due to injury.
Shubman Gill’s IPL record
Shubman Gill has established a strong presence in the Indian Premier League (IPL), accumulating 3216 runs in 103 matches with an impressive average of 37.84 and a strike rate of 135.70. His IPL journey has shown continuous improvement over the years.
His standout season came in IPL 2023, where Gill amassed 890 runs in 17 matches at an outstanding average of 59.33 and a blistering strike rate of 157.80. Even in IPL 2024, he maintained good form, scoring 426 runs at an average of 38.73 and a strike rate of 147.40. Gill’s role will be pivotal for India as they prepare for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, set to be hosted in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami, the pace spearhead, has resumed training following a successful Achilles tendon surgery in London. He sustained an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup last year and has been absent from the Indian team since the 2023 World Cup final against Australia.
Shami is targeting a comeback during India’s home series against Bangladesh in September 2023. His return is eagerly anticipated as he gears up to contribute significantly to India’s campaigns in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.
