There was never an iota of doubt about Shubman Gill’s class and quality as a top-order batter in any format. He was already a superstar in ODIs and after what he did as captain of the Test side in England, the doubts about translating that to red-ball cricket were erased for good.
But what about T20Is, the format that draws the most eyeballs globally? Shubman didn’t feature in India’s last three T20I assignments against Bangladesh at home, in South Africa and against England at home.
It was largely due to the selectors giving more importance to Test cricket and ODIs (The Champions Trophy was around the corner). He was always a part of the T20I set-up. Otherwise, how would you explain Gill’s presence in India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad as a travelling reserve? And then getting captaincy in the Zimbabwe tour and vice-captaincy against Sri Lanka?
Because of their nearly 12-month engagement in different formats, India don’t always get he opportunity to field their full strength T20I squad and Gill certainly was part of that. The problem (if you want to see it like that) with Indian cricket, however, is its bench strength. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson did a fantastic job at the top of the order in T20Is, scoring runs (read centuries) for fun.
Suryakumar Yadav, the captain and Tilak Varma were consistent in the top order. Tilak, in fact, broke the world record for scoring T20I runs between dismissals. He scored 318 runs without getting dismissed in T20Is.
‘Cannot undermine Shubman Gill in T20Is’: Harbhajan Singh
Where does that leave Gill, then, for the Asia Cup? Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh says the selectors “cannot undermine” Shubman Gill despite what the others have done in his absence in the shortest format. “Yes, we do have players like Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, but you cannot undermine or underestimate Shubman Gill. He is a very talented batter who can adapt to any format. He is an all-format player. In my opinion, he can play T20s and even dominate the format. We as fans are used to seeing fours and sixes every ball, but you also need batters who can play long innings and rescue the team when required,” Harbhajan told TimesofIndia.com.
Shubman Gill has steadily built an impressive T20 resume, showcasing both consistency and flair. In 21 T20 Internationals, he has scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a healthy strike rate of 139.27, including one century and three fifties. His ability to anchor and accelerate was further highlighted in IPL 2025, where he amassed 650 runs in 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87, with six fifties. Notably, Gill is among the select few Indians with centuries across all three international formats.
Harbhajan said Shubman Gill has the game to defend and then, he can attack whenever he wants to. “In the T20 format, it’s important to understand that it’s not just about big hitting. If Shubman decides to attack, he can match anyone because he is a very solid player with strong basics. A batter with such a strong foundation can score runs in any format. If you look at the IPL, Shubman has scored runs every season. He has worn the Orange Cap – and that doesn’t happen by chance. And it’s not like he bats only at a strike rate of 120 or 130; he can also bat at a strike rate of 160,” he added.