The Indian Premier League (IPL) is now an adult, having successfully completed 18 seasons. But since it came into being in 2008, India have lifted the T20 World Cup only once, in eight attempts. This gives you an idea of the scale of task that confronts Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir in a couple of months’ time. The shorter the format, the more teams capable of causing an upset and the more intense competition in the final stages.
It’s no coincidence that even a West Indies team that ceased to be genuinely competitive in the other two formats nearly two decades ago have won the T20 World Cup twice – as many times as India. This 3-1 series victory against South Africa – who India beat in the final in Barbados in 2024 – is definitely a step in the right direction, but plenty of questions remain to be answered ahead of the squad selection for the showpiece event.
The most important ones, unfortunately for India’s think-tank, surround two players who should have been first names on the team sheet, as the present captain and vice-captain. But neither Suryakumar Yadav nor Shubman Gill seem able to buy a run at the moment, and the string of failures dating back almost the entirety of the calendar year has resulted in the harshest questions and ruthless online commentary.
Gill has shown flashes of brilliance, especially during the 105-run opening stand he shared with Abhishek Sharma against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, but has a highest score of 47 in 15 innings since his recall. Surya’s 2025 has gone from bad to worse, and it’s beyond dispute that any other player who averaged 13.62 across 19 innings in a year would have been dropped long ago if not for the fact that he captains the side.
That Sanju Samson came in for the injured Gill and played a brisk and entertaining innings of 37 to set up a huge, match-winning total has only further muddled the picture. The key task ahead of the selectors and Gambhir is making sure they pick the right team, with the emphasis squarely on form.
India are not in a position where they have to continue picking Surya for leadership alone, not when Hardik Pandya – his Mumbai Indians captain – is a cornerstone of the squad. The same goes for Gill, with the sheer wealth of batting talent sitting on the sidelines.
Gambhir wasn’t afraid to take the hard calls when it came to the red-ball format, with multiple sources in the know suggesting that his presence as head coach had a significant role to play in Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin all quitting Test cricket during or after the tour of Australia nearly a year ago.
Marquee names being dropped for a major tournament is hardly a novelty in sport either. Paul Gascoigne was a maverick genius and the most gifted English footballer of his generation, having illuminated their 1990 World Cup campaign. But by 1998, his professionalism and injury record were both questionable.
Glenn Hoddle, then coach, left him out of the squad for France ’98, and would say later: “My saddest decision in football was leaving Paul Gascoigne out of the 1998 World Cup finals. But he wasn’t fit enough and once that decision is made, as a manager and a group of players, you forget about who isn’t there and focus on the job.”
Cold logic and numbers, not emotion, should be the guiding principles when it comes to squad selection. No cup was ever won by a 12th man named Sentiment.
Also Read More questions marks over Gill and Surya – Major Talking Points from the India–South Africa Series
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