India now has three specially appointed captains. In Tests, Shubman Gill is the captain, and in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav is the captain. In ODIs, Rohit Sharma is the current captain, although there are whispers that he could be phased out before the 2027 World Cup. This is relatively fresh in Indian cricket, where one captain has typically been the captain of all three forms.
Gill’s Omission from T20 World Cup and Current Form
Shubman Gill, the present Test captain, was left out of the 2024 T20 World Cup team. Yet, given the sort of form he is in racking up over 750 runs in five Tests against England making room for Gill in the format appears to be unavoidable.
A PTI report has even claimed that Gill is in the race to be vice-captain. Amidst this, former BCCI selector Devang Gandhi said, “Split captaincy doesn’t work in India in the long run.”
Comparisons with Virat Kohli’s Rise
“Gill has built an aura similar to what Virat had in 2017. Virat was groomed under MS Dhoni. Gill is also at his peak like Virat was. He too has reacted to captaincy as well as Virat did. Ajit Agarkar has shown great foresight by appointing Gill as Test captain. There’s no reason why he should not give Gill a leadership role in T20. The messaging has to be clear about who takes over after Surya,” Gandhi told TOI.
“Unlike other countries, split captaincy doesn’t work in India in the long run because you crave stability in the thought process. When you have a prolific all-format player leading in one format, it becomes difficult not to hand him the same responsibility in the other formats. Gill has ticked all the boxes as a batter. And he has led in the IPL.”
ICC Men’s Player of the Month Recognition
Meanwhile, India Test captain Shubman Gill has been awarded the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July 2025 for his heroics against England in a gripping Test series, after receiving tough competition from England Test captain Ben Stokes and South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, according to the official ICC website.
The 25-year-old had a great month in July, scoring 567 runs at an impressive average of 94.50 from three Tests, hitting a double hundred and two hundreds in six matches.
Gill Reflects on the Honour
It was Gill’s maiden tour as India’s Test skipper and the 25-year-old described it as a nice privilege to be recognized.
“It feels great to be named the ICC Player of the Month for July,” Gill said.
“This time it holds a lot more significance since it has come for my performances during my first Test series as captain.
“The double ton in Birmingham is obviously something I will cherish forever and will be one of the highlights of my tour to England.”
