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Sanju Samson’s Return Puts Pressure on Shubman Gill Ahead of T20 World Cup Squad
Shubman Gill: The Indian team for the 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be announced on Saturday. The biggest concern for India is Shubman Gill's poor form. It remains to be seen whether Gill will remain the vice-captain of the T20 team.
Indian team's star batsman Shubman Gill has been in poor form for some time. Gill could not play the fifth T20 encounter against South Africa due to injury, and Sanju Samson was included in the playing XI. He opened the innings along with Abhishek Sharma, and he continues to prove his worth to the team. This is increasing the pressure on Gill.
The Indian team for the T20 World Cup will be declared on Saturday. There is no question that Gill will be a part of the team, but the way Samson has made use of his absence has raised suspicions about whether he will be retained as the vice-captain of the T20 team. He was performing well with the bat, and then he was handed the wicket-keeping assignment despite Jitesh Sharma's presence. This may have increased the pressure on Gill. It's believed that the Indian think tank may reconsider Gill's vice-captaincy position for the T20 World Cup and the T20 series against New Zealand.
Gill suffered a toe injury during a net session in Lucknow, but Samson returned as an opener, scoring 37 runs off 22 balls in the fifth and final crucial match of the series. While Samson's place in the 15-member squad is not in doubt, this innings makes him a contender to regain his rightful place as an opening partner with Abhishek Sharma.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed the 26-year-old Gill as the T20 vice-captain, with the long-term goal of making him the national captain in all formats, so that he could replace Suryakumar Yadav in the T20Is. However, Gill's game hasn't aligned with Team India's aggressive approach, as he hasn't scored a single half-century since returning to the T20I squad. Worse, his strike rate has dropped, and technical difficulties with adjusting his stance for better results in the Test format have also impacted his T20I batting.
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Gill's promotion to vice-captain has actually created a problem for Samson. Samson has a better international T20I record, scoring three centuries last season, but he was forced to bat lower down the order in the Asia Cup. Clearly feeling uncomfortable after being dropped from his opening spot through no fault of his own, Samson lost his place in the playing XI. But then due to Gill's injury, he got a chance to open the innings once again.
