Ex-India Star Robin Uthappa Rules out Shubman Gill as All-Format Captain Soon

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has cast doubt on Shubman Gill’s prospects of becoming India’s all-format captain soon, despite the 26-year-old’s recent appointment as Test and ODI skipper following Rohit Sharma’s limited-overs retirement. Speaking on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, Uthappa argued that Gill, currently deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, must first cement his place in the shortest format before assuming leadership across the board. Instead, he tipped Shreyas Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL-winning captain, as a strong contender to lead India’s T20I side, citing Iyer’s tactical acumen and proven credentials in high-pressure scenarios.

Gill, who took over as India’s white-ball captain in July 2025, led the team to a 2-0 ODI series win in Sri Lanka but faltered in the Asia Cup 2025, where his batting average dipped to 21.33 across four matches, with a top score of 39. This underwhelming performance has left the second opener’s slot vulnerable, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson emerging as contenders. “I wish his Asia Cup went better for him... Abhishek [Sharma] has run with that one opener slot. Now, the second opener slot is still very much open,” Uthappa noted, highlighting Jaiswal’s explosive 93 off 43 balls against Bangladesh and Samson’s versatility as potential game-changers. Gill’s Test captaincy, however, remains solid, with a century (104) in the ongoing West Indies series, where India leads 1-0 after a crushing innings victory in Ahmedabad.

Uthappa’s endorsement of Iyer, 30, stems from his leadership pedigree—guiding KKR to their third IPL title in 2024—and his middle-order reliability, despite being overlooked for India’s T20I squad post-World Cup 2024. “I think they’ll look at Shreyas Iyer as a captain in T20. Shubman Gill, he still has to earn that spot,” Uthappa said, pointing to Iyer’s 3,083 T20 runs at a strike rate of 135.67 and his knack for anchoring chases. Iyer’s exclusion from the Asia Cup squad, despite a 52.50 ODI average in 2024, has fuelled debates, with fans on X praising his “calm under pressure” while others question his consistency against pace. Uthappa also cautioned that vice-captaincy, like Gill’s in T20Is, rarely guarantees succession, citing predecessors like KL Rahul who never ascended to permanent leadership.

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The comments come as India prepares for the second Test against the West Indies on October 10 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, with broader implications for the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle and upcoming white-ball assignments, including the Champions Trophy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces a selection conundrum, balancing youth (Jaiswal, 23) with experience (Iyer) amid a transition phase post-Sharma and Virat Kohli’s T20I retirements. Uthappa’s remarks underscore the fluidity of Indian cricket’s leadership landscape, where performances and public sentiment, amplified on platforms like X, can shift narratives overnight. As Gill eyes a T20I berth, Iyer’s potential return could reshape India’s short-format strategy.

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