Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has backed Shubman Gill to become India’s all-format batsman after Rohit Sharma. Notably, Gill has been appointed as the vice-captain of the Indian T20I and ODI team for the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. The youngster has been given the vice-captainship, beating several senior players like Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul.

Gill made his captaincy debut on the recent tour of Zimbabwe, leading a young team to a 4-1 victory in the five-match series after losing the first T20I. The opening batsman also finished as the highest run-scorer of the series with 170 runs in his five innings.

Commenting on Gill and Yashasvi Jasiwal’s recent performances, Sridhar said the duo have justified their selection in both ODIs and T20Is. He also called Gill as India captain Rohit Sharma’s protege and said he will lead India in all formats after the 2027 ODI World Cup.

“Going back to their current form and the potential they showed in the India-England Test series and even in the ODI games, I think these two have cemented their positions in two formats, T20Is and Tests. Shubman Gill is an all-format player for me and I think he will be captain Rohit Sharma’s apprentice in Test matches and ODIs. I am sure India will see him as captain in all formats after the 2027 World Cup,” he told Hindustan Times.

Gill’s amazing career so far

Gill announced his arrival in Tests in style with a breakthrough series against Australia in 2020-21. However, he has been quite inconsistent in the format since then, scoring 1492 runs in 46 innings at an average of 35.52. However, he secured his place in the team after a stellar run in ODIs in 2023. The 24-year-old has scored 2322 runs in the format at an average of 59.53, with six hundreds and 13 fifties in 46 innings.

In 20 T20I matches played so far, Gill scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 139.27The 24-year-old has one hundred and three fifties, with a highest score of 126*. The Punjab-born cricketer is referred to as the prince of Indian cricket and his potential to become a star in the future is definitely showing.