Shubman Gill’s rise and fall in 2025:From Test and ODI captaincy to T20 World Cup snub; led India to historic 2-2 draw in England

As 2025 draws to a close and the focus shifts towards 2026, Indian cricket has gone through a major transition. The retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket marked the end of an era, forcing the BCCI to plan for the future. In a bold move, Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s new Test captain, and later in the year, he also took over the ODI captaincy as Rohit’s long-term successor. Gill’s leadership responsibilities continued to grow as he was included in the T20I leadership group as vice-captain under Suryakumar Yadav. However, while his stature as a leader rose, his performances with the bat in the shortest format became a concern. A prolonged dip in form and a below-par strike rate worked against him at a crucial time. The situation took a dramatic turn when Gill was left out of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on 7 February in India. From being trusted with captaincy roles across formats to missing out on the biggest T20 tournament, Gill’s 2025 tells a story of rapid rise and sudden setbacks, despite a year in which he also broke multiple records and achieved several personal milestones. Shubman Gill records 983 runs in Tests, handed captaincy After the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket, the BCCI handed the leadership role to Shubman Gill ahead of the England tour in June. Leading the side in a challenging overseas assignment, Gill showed maturity both as a batter and a captain. Under his leadership, Team India fought hard to draw the five-match Test series 2-2 in the Tendulkar–Anderson Trophy 2025, earning praise for their resilience in transition. Gill also enjoyed a remarkable year with the bat in the longest format. In nine Test matches, he piled up 983 runs at an impressive average of 70.21, including five centuries and one half-century. His standout performance came against England, where he smashed a career-best 269, breaking Virat Kohli’s record of the highest Test score by an Indian captain. This innings firmly established Gill as India’s new leader in Test cricket. ODI captaincy as Rohit’s successor, lost to Australia 2-1 Following his dominance in Test cricket, the BCCI also entrusted Shubman Gill with the ODI captaincy, naming him Rohit Sharma’s successor with an eye on the 2027 World Cup. His first major assignment came on the Australia tour in October, where India played a three-match ODI series. Despite valiant efforts from senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the final two matches, Gill’s side went down 2-1, making it a challenging start to his ODI leadership journey. Gill’s momentum was later disrupted by injury, as he was ruled out of all three ODIs against South Africa after sustaining a neck injury during the Kolkata Test. Even so, he had a productive year in the format. In 11 ODIs played in 2025, Gill scored 490 runs at an average of 49, showing consistency at the top of the order. He also registered two centuries in the Champions Trophy, with a highest score of 112, underlining his importance in India’s limited-overs plans. T20 World Cup snub despite being India’s vice-captain After a mixed run across formats, Shubman Gill’s position in India’s leadership group came under close scrutiny. Following a hard-fought 2-2 draw against England in the five-match Test series and a 2-1 defeat to Australia in the ODI series, the BCCI and the national selection committee continued to back Gill as the team’s vice-captain, viewing him as a long-term leader. Despite the support, his form in T20 cricket became a growing concern, especially after the IPL season with the Gujarat Titans, where his performances failed to translate effectively to the international stage. Gill’s struggles in the shortest format were further highlighted after his return from a neck injury during the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Opening the innings, he managed just 32 runs at a strike rate of 103, numbers that fell well below the team’s expectations for a modern T20 opener. Even though he was part of the Asia Cup-winning squad, the lack of impact with the bat ultimately cost him a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad, which begins on 7 February.