India vs South Africa: Former Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has made his apprehensions clear on Shubman Gill's form, stating that it would be difficult for the team management to drop an Indian vice-captain without giving him a proper run in the format. Ashwin believes that Gill deserves to feature in the remaining two T20Is against South Africa, but feels that the team management might have to take a call on his future if his dip in batting form continues.
Gill has accumulated 291 runs in 2025 at an average of 24.25, which is meagre by his standards, with a strike-rate of 137.26. In all these matches, Gill has failed to reach even a half-century. Notably, Gill was brought back into the opening spot in the T20 side, replacing Sanju Samson, who had been performing well there with three hundreds to his name.
Also, the team management removed Axar Patel from the vice-captaincy, with Gill taking over the role. Many dubbed it as a move for the future, as the 26-year-old is poised to take over captaincy in all three formats later on.
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Gill got off to a good start; however got bowled by Marco Jansen for 28 (28).
“I am a little concerned," Ashwin said on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat. “Shubman is not only the opener but also the vice-captain. How will you remove the vice-captain? It is going to be an incredibly tough decision. If you have to take that decision, inside this series you can’t bring Samson because it does not look nice to drop the vice-captain. You can ask whether vice-captains have been dropped in the past or not. But he has been taken and should be given a fair run. If he does not perform in the five games, then a decision will have to be made," he added.
Ashwin said it’s a clear indication that the current Indian setup hasn’t settled on their best 11 yet, with only two months left before the 2026 T20 World Cup. He pointed out that the bigger issue would be if Gill starts scoring runs but at a lower strike rate while trying to keep his spot on the team.
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“You should know your best XI and best squad (for T20 WC) by now. I don’t think there are any doubts in the bowling. That department is sealed. Another good message is that Harshit Rana is showing what he is capable of. He is executing what he is good at. The only question is, if Shubman doesn’t make the runs, should he be there or should Samson be playing. The only unfortunate thing from here on I do not want to see is Gill making runs at a lesser strike rate. That should not happen," he added.