Asia Cup Squad For India: Whoever went through the entire press conference of the squad announcement for the Asia Cup, Shubman Gill's name, along with a designation of vice-captain, noted the moment as a bit of a surprise. Notably, left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel was named the T20I vice-captain a few series back due to his consistent performances. Interestingly, Gill's elevation as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy points towards the team management's approach to have one captain across formats.

For the unversed, Gill played his last T20I match against Sri Lanka at their home in 2024. Even the Chairman of Senior Selection Committee, Ajit Agarkar, was unapologetic about his decision to name Gill as vice-captain, insisting that the 25-year-old was always a vital cog to India's T20 plans.

"The last time he played T20Is for India, post (the) T20 World Cup (2024), when we went to Sri Lanka (in July 2024), not (the tour of) Zimbabwe. I was leading then and he was the vice-captain and that's when we started a new cycle for (the next) T20 World Cup.

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"After that, he got busy with all the Test series (at home). He did not get the opportunity to play T20 cricket because he got busy playing Test cricket and the Champions Trophy. He is there in the squad (now) and we are happy to have him," said Suryakumar.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Gill was not the first choice for the candidature of vice-captain. His appointment came at the back of lot of deliberations and discussions between the selectors. Selection meeting was also joined by head coach Gautam Gambhir, who also gave a nod to Gill's promotion.

"It was the matter that consumed most of the time at Tuesday's selection meeting and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who joined online, was also of the view that India needs to groom someone for the future and Gill, who turns 26 next month, was the most eligible candidate," the report said.

"Gill wasn't the first choice initially and some people felt that Axar Patel should continue the role of vice-captaincy. But the overall mood at the selection meeting was that it's better to invest in a player who is likely to serve Indian cricket for long. The panel couldn't find any other candidate whom they can hand over responsibility for the next five years. As Gill is already leading in Test cricket, the selectors felt it was a right time to prepare him to take over from Surya some time in the future.

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The report also added that Gill was bound to be in the playing XI for the entire tournament.

"With the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picking Gill in the T20 squad, for the first time this year, it seems likely that the Test captain, who had a dream outing on the recent England tour, will feature in the playing XI during the tournament to be played in the UAE from September 9-28," it added.