How BCCI’s ‘Project Shubman Gill’ collapsed: Inside the shocking T20 World Cup omission | Cricket News
New Delhi: On the morning of the fourth T20I against South Africa on Wednesday, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar rushed to Lucknow. By evening, it emerged that vice-captain Shubman Gill was going to miss the remaining T20Is after suffering an impact injury on his right foot on the eve of the fourth match. On paper, it may sound as if it was just a coincidence that Sanju Samson was going to open the innings again for India in the fifth T20I in Ahmedabad on Friday. TOI understands that the team management had already conveyed its wish to replace Gill at the top of the order after a prolonged period of lack of runs. The team had moved on from Gill as it revisited its plans for the T20 World Cup starting in another 48 days.
As India’s T20I team went on a break from the start of the IPL, the team management and selectors had identified Gill as their all-format leader going forward. Hence, a strategy was devised where they wanted the wicketkeeper to bat in the middle order. If one revisits the IPL, both Samson and Rishabh Pant came out to bat lower than their preferred positions. Gill was given a free run at the top of the order. Security for a place in the XI comes at a premium in Indian cricket these days. Gill was even given that with vice-captaincy despite not featuring in the T20 World Cup team in 2024. He was perhaps the only batter in Indian cricket who had absolute clarity about his batting positions across formats in the last eight months. This team management, under head coach Gautam Gambhir, has been bullish about not letting superstar culture persist in the dressing room. Gill’s omission is a brutal reminder that even the man identified to be the face of Indian cricket can’t hide behind non-performance. At the same time, the team management and the selectors also can’t shy away from the utter lack of clarity in its plans. Lack of clarity in Gill’s role, compromised power-hitting When Gill was brought back to his opening spot in T20Is, the idea was to have at least one batter who could bat out overs without really compromising on the run-rate. The idea revolved around the fact there are very few high-scoring matches in big tournaments. Someone with the stability of Gill up the order can anchor an innings much like Virat Kohli did for such a long time. “Gill was stuck in a place where he probably felt the pressure of going big at the top of the order. The whole idea behind a young and revamped T20I team was to keep the opposition under pressure with a high run-rate. Gill perhaps got caught up in that. He didn’t quite strike a balance between power and adding stability,” a source close to the team management told TOI. It also led to India’s power-hitting getting compromised. The pressure fell back on the bowlers. With the wicketkeeper now batting up the order, it has lent depth to the power-hitting in the lineup. “With both captain Suryakumar Yadav and Gill woefully out of form, the other batters couldn’t bat with freedom and the strike-rates suffered,” the source added. TOI also understands that Surya always had reservations about his team being disturbed with players coming back from Test duties. As it turned out, three players—Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal—who were asked to focus on Test cricket after the 2024 T20 World Cup, have all missed out on the upcoming edition in Feb-March. The team management had to go back to Ishan Kishan, who has not been around the Indian team for a couple of years. Bigger storm brewing after T20 WC Agarkar and Gambhir have been working together to build a stable team that can seamlessly take Indian cricket forward in the coming decade. Yet, they have not managed to assign definite roles to players. Gambhir thrives on a horses-for-courses philosophy. That said, Saturday’s selection also points at a project around grooming a future leader that has collapsed. “The board and the selectors are bracing for many more tough calls post the T20 World Cup. The team management’s initial plan around leadership has fallen through. They have to go back to grooming another leader after the T20 World Cup even if Surya has a good tournament,” the source said. The team wears a more balanced look on paper. The players picked in the team have battled uncertainty in their roles in the name of flexibility. It’s only a guess if the team management has finally zeroed down upon a plan with another five remaining T20Is against New Zealand at home in January.
