Shubman Gill and Suyakumar Yadav's T20 World Cup cases are different: Former India batter

Mohammad Kaif opined that Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill's positions in India's T20 team cannot be judged using the same metrics. According to the former Indian batter, proven match-winners deserve more opportunities, even when they are struggling to score runs.

Kaif supported the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) decision to leave vice-captain Shubman out of India's squad for the T20 World Cup, but retain Suryakumar as the captain. While both have had dismal outings with the bat in 2025, the experienced campaigner from Mumbai got the nod.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he stressed that Suryakumar’s past dominance in the format earned him extended backing, something Gill is still striving to achieve.

“There is a difference in the cases of Gill and Surya. Surya has been a proven match-winner in T20s. He has been on top of the ICC rankings and won games as well. We can't compare the two here. Gill had to prove himself in this format in the Indian team,” Kaif said.

“Take Kohli for example, he did not score for those two years during COVID but because he had a great record and a match-winner for 10 years or so, you backed him on his reputation and he got out of that phase and started scoring again. Surya is also in this category. Gill is nowhere close to Surya in this format. Saying you should remove both if they are not in form is not right here. Surya has earned this,” he added.

The question is how he can get out of this phase: Kaif

Kaif stated that Suryakumar's lean patch with the willow should be analysed, but it shouldn't lead to his axing. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator wondered whether captaincy is adversely affecting Suryakumar's performance by putting him under added pressure.

“He cannot be dropped. In Surya's case, he has to be backed. You need to focus on where he is making mistakes and why he is not able to score. Is it because of the captaincy? Is that pressure getting to him? That is the question,” Kaif reflected.

“He is a solid player in this format. The question is how he can get out of this phase. He needs to assess whether he is putting his energy elsewhere and whether his technique is exposed. He has to find these answers,” he said.