Former England star gives tough verdict on Shubman Gill

Soon after Shubman Gill was unexpectedly dropped from India’s T20 World Cup scheme - a decision that effectively stalled his rise toward becoming a future all-format captain - former England spinner Monty Panesar offered a blunt assessment. According to Panesar, Gill’s approach lacks the sharpness required to shoulder leadership responsibilities across formats.

In May, the BCCI had signalled strong faith in Gill, especially after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli moved away from Test cricket. Gill repaid that confidence with a historic run-scoring spree in England, where he also captained India to a respectable 2–2 series draw. Buoyed by that success, the board expanded its long-term leadership plans around him, reintroducing him to the T20I side ahead of the Asia Cup in September after a gap of over a year. He was named vice-captain and soon after elevated to lead the ODI team.

These developments triggered widespread belief that Gill was being prepared as India’s next leader in all three formats, with a possible T20I captaincy earmarked for after the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Also Read: T20 World Cup: Former star questions Gill omission, compares BCCI call to classic Gavaskar-Srikkanth debate

That roadmap, however, was eventually abandoned due to Gill’s sustained struggles in T20 internationals. Since his return, he scored only 291 runs across 15 innings without a single fifty, a slump that ultimately cost him a place in the World Cup squad.

In a recent interaction, Panesar acknowledged Gill’s immense ability but questioned his decision-making at the crease, suggesting that he often opts for careless strokes. He contrasted this with Virat Kohli’s relentless intensity and competitive edge - traits Panesar believes defined Kohli’s leadership in every format and are currently missing in Gill.

“Gill has plenty of talent, but he tends to relax too much and play loose shots,” Panesar remarked. “Kohli’s aggression and intensity were always visible. Gill doesn’t have that yet. Leading in all formats would be too big a responsibility for him right now.”