India‘s announcement of the T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England has sparked widespread discussion, particularly after the selectors removed Suryakumar Yadav as captain and handed the leadership reins to Shreyas Iyer. While the decision signals the beginning of a new era in India’s T20 setup, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed surprise over the appointment and suggested that Shubman Gill may have been a more suitable long-term candidate for the role.
Speaking on Sony Sports Network shortly after the squad was unveiled, Manjrekar shared his views on the leadership change and highlighted the factors that may have influenced the selectors’ decision.
Sanjay Manjrekar surprised by Shreyas Iyer’s elevation
Manjrekar described Iyer’s appointment as one of the most intriguing aspects of the squad announcement. The former batter pointed out that Iyer had not been a regular member of India’s T20I plans in recent months, making his direct promotion to captaincy a significant development.
According to Manjrekar, when a player is appointed captain or vice-captain, it is important that the individual has a clearly established role in the team. While he acknowledged Iyer’s credentials and recent performances, he admitted that the move came as a surprise considering the batter’s absence from the national T20 setup for an extended period.
The selectors, however, appear to have been convinced by Iyer’s impressive performances in franchise cricket and his leadership record over the last few seasons.
“Shreyas Iyer is a very interesting choice. He wasn’t able to get a place in the T20 squad for the last few months. But now, straightaway, India’s T20 captain. When you pick a player or make him the captain or vice captain you’ve got to also make sure that that player fits into the squad and has got a confirmed place in the squad and that is where I think should been Shubman Gil has missed out because I think Gill has better credentials than Shreyas Iyer to be India’s long-term T20 captain,” Manjrekar said.
Why Manjrekar preferred Shubman Gill?
While discussing potential captaincy candidates, Manjrekar stated that Gill possessed stronger credentials to lead India’s T20 side over the long term. He believes Gill’s stature in Indian cricket and his growing leadership experience make him a natural contender for future captaincy responsibilities.
The former cricketer also looked ahead to India’s upcoming challenges, noting that the team will be playing away from home in Ireland and England before eventually preparing for a T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. In his view, Gill’s style of leadership and cricketing profile made him an appealing option for those conditions.
However, Manjrekar acknowledged a major hurdle in Gill’s path to the captaincy—his place in the playing XI. With India already possessing multiple strong opening options and young talents continuing to emerge, fitting Gill into the team consistently may have become a challenge for the selectors.
“T20S will now be played away from India, Ireland, England, two venues and eventually the World Cup will be in Australia and New Zealand, and I believe Gill was better suited to take that responsibility, but that’s only a cricketing thought. But how do you fit Gill in the playing 11 because you’ve got two openers already doing so well with Sooryavanshi as your third option? So they’ve gone for a captain who they could fit in the playing 11. Because Gill is an opening batter, he lost out on that opportunity or that appointment, but his time is not too far,” added Manjrekar.
Team balance may have influenced selectors’ decision
Manjrekar suggested that team composition likely played a significant role in the final decision. Since Iyer can slot comfortably into the middle order, his inclusion in the playing XI appears more straightforward than Gill’s at present. India’s top-order combinations have become increasingly competitive, with established performers and emerging stars all vying for limited spots. As a result, the selectors may have preferred a captain whose position in the batting order aligned more naturally with the team’s current structure.
Despite missing out this time, Manjrekar remains optimistic about Gill’s leadership future. He believes the young batter’s opportunity to lead India is only a matter of time and that he remains firmly in contention for major leadership responsibilities in the years ahead.For now, though, India’s T20 side enters a new chapter under Shreyas Iyer, with the selectors backing him to guide the team through the next phase of its white-ball journey.
