MS Dhoni's close aid passes cold verdict on Shubman Gill's portrayal as India's captain

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has shared his thoughts on the BCCI and Indian selectors’ decision to appoint Shubman Gill as Team India captain for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, starting on Saturday, July 6, in Harare.

Gill is all set to make his captaincy debut on the Zimbabwe tour, leading the young team in the upcoming T20I series. However, the young Indian batter has been backed by many former cricketers and experts as the future captain of the Indian cricket team, while some have questioned the decision.

Shubman Gill set to make debut as India captain in Harare

Actually, the right-handed batter had an unforgettable debut as captain in the IPL, with the Gujarat Titans (GT) finishing in the eighth spot in the IPL 2024 points table under his leadership. Despite his not-so-impressive captaincy, BCCI stunned many by appointing him captain of India’s Zimbabwe tour.

Well, there was one more good option for captaincy in Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led India to gold in the Asian Games and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to fifth in the IPL 2024. Gaikwad also has the experience of leading his state team, Maharashtra, in domestic cricket.

So, few felt Gaikwad could have been a better choice than Gill, but BCCI might be looking at the GT skipper as the future India captain, especially after Rohit Sharma’s retirement; thus, many like Virender Sehwag and Manoj Tiwary welcomed the call.

The former Indian cricketer said that he agrees with the Indian selectors and BCCI’s decision to appoint Gill as Team India captain for the T20I series in Zimbabwe, since he has been representing the country in all three formats and doing great, especially in ODI cricket.

Manoj Tiwary backs BCCI's decision to appoint Shubman Gill as India captain for Zimbabwe T20Is

Manoj Tiwary was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “Yes, I agree with the captain's choice. I am very happy that Shubhman Gill has been consistently playing for India’s One Day cricket team and consistently performing well in the format.”

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Shubman Gill has confirmed that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma will make his India debut in the first T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on July 6. Gill also revealed that he and Abhishek will open for the Men in Blue in the T20I series opener.

He also confirmed that Gaikwad will bat No.3 in the first T20I in Harare. Gill was quoted as saying by PTI: “Abhishek Sharma will open with me and Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at No.3.”

Notably, Abhishek had an outstanding IPL 2024 season with 484 runs in 16 matches at an impressive strike rate of 204.22 and played a key role in SRH reaching the finals, where they lost the trophy to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) earlier this year.

The left-handed batter is known for his powerful hitting during the powerplay, and then his left-arm spin will be valuable in the slow and low conditions expected in Harare. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel are also in line to make their debuts for India on the Zimbabwe tour.