“How will you remove the vice-captain?” - Ravi Ashwin feels it’s an increasingly tough decision to remove Shubman Gill from T20Is

Former Indian spinner and analyst Ravi Ashwin has stated that it’s going to be an incredibly tough decision to axe the Indian T20I vice-captain, Shubman Gill, from the current playing XI in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin asserted that it wouldn’t look nice to drop the vice-captain in order to bring in Sanju Samson at his place in the opening slot in the middle of the ongoing five-match series.

"I am a little concerned. Shubman is not only the opener but also the vice-captain. How will you remove the vice-captain? It is going to be an incredibly tough decision. If you have to take that decision, inside this series you can't bring Samson because it does not look nice to drop the vice-captain. You can ask whether vice-captains have been dropped in the past or not. But he has been taken and should be given a fair run. If he does not perform in the five games, then a decision will have to be made," Ravi Ashwin said on 'Ash ki Baat' on his YouTube channel.

For the unversed, the Indian T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill has played 15 T20I games in 2025, scoring only 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26 with the highest score of 47.

"You should know your best XI and best squad (for T20 WC) by now. I don't think there are any doubts in the bowling. That department is sealed. Another good message is that Harshit Rana is showing what he is capable of. He is executing what he is good at. The only question is, if Shubman doesn't make the runs, should he be there or should Samson be playing. The only unfortunate thing from here on I do not want to see is Gill making runs at a lesser strike rate. That should not happen,” he added.

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