Exclusive: Robin Singh Questions Shubman Gill’s Vice-Captaincy Call in Asia Cup Squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, starting September 09 in Dubai. 

The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, met in Mumbai before briefing the media at a press conference.

There had been plenty of speculation around India’s squad, with fans debating who would make the cut. After weighing multiple options, the selectors settled on the following team:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.

Gill as vice-captain raises questions

Ahead of the announcement, there were conflicting reports on whether Test captain Shubman Gill would even make the T20 squad. 

India had been doing well in his absence, and many expected him to be overlooked. Instead, the selectors not only included him but also made him vice-captain.

That, according to former Indian cricketer Robin Singh, creates a fresh dilemma.

“The team is good and balanced. But the inclusion of Shubman Gill as vice-captain will pose a new challenge for the management, as the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson has done very well in the last three series. Tilak Varma at three and Suryakumar Yadav at four have also done well against Bangladesh, England and during the South Africa tour,” Robin told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive chat.

He pointed out how Gill’s appointment could push Sanju Samson out of his natural role.

“If you had to pick Gill, pick him as a reserve opener. By making him vice-captain, you are making his place certain in the XI. Then, where will Sanju Samson go? If Gill opens, then it will be the right choice to play Jitesh as a wicket-keeper batter down the order,” Singh said.

“It will put doubts in Sanju Samson’s mind. You have made a middle-order batter open, and when he is settled and starts performing, he has to go down the order to a spot where he was never comfortable, like five or six, or he has to sit out,” he added.

Shreyas Iyer unlucky to miss out

The biggest talking point outside the squad is the omission of Shreyas Iyer. The middle-order batter has been in brilliant touch, especially in the IPL, yet found no place in the squad. Yashasvi Jaiswal, another consistent performer, also missed out.

On their exclusion, Robin said: “Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal both deserved to be in the team. Shreyas was closer as he bats in the middle order. Abhishek Sharma has done very well at the top, so Jaiswal could have come in as a reserve opener.”

When asked about Iyer not even being in the standbys, Robin explained why.

“A player like him has to either be in the playing XI or in the squad, not in standbys. He has done exceptionally well in the IPL, but India is facing problems of plenty. As I said earlier, India’s top four are very well settled, and it would not be right to remove those who have done well. Like we are talking about Sanju Samson. Those who have utilised their opportunities must be respected,” he said.

“So Shreyas could have taken the place of either Tilak Varma or Suryakumar Yadav. One has done very well, and the other is the captain and India’s top T20 batter. It is sad not to see Shreyas in the team, but I can only say he is unlucky. It is no fault of his at all. He has every reason to be included, and the selectors, too, have reasons not to,” Robin concluded.