IND vs SA: Mohammed Kaif has suggested India to drop Shubman Gill for Sanju Samson. (BCCI)Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has suggested that the Indian team management must rest the struggling Shubman Gill in the ongoing South Africa T20I series, insisting that vice-captains of the side have been dropped before.
Gill’s return to the T20I set up, six months before the T20 World Cup 2026, co-incided with India dropping wicket-keeper Sanju Samson who smashed three centuries as an opener in 2024. The Punjab batter, however, has not lived up to the backing as yet and was dismissed twice within three deliveries in the ongoing South Africa T20I series.
Kaif observed the mode of Gill’s dismissals in the series and said that India would instead benefit from a naturally aggressive batter in Samson at the top, alongside Abhishek Sharma.
“Look at how he is getting out, caught at slip, stepping out and mistiming, trying aggressive strokes like Abhishek Sharma and getting caught. He has tried everything. I think the time has come to give him a break and try players who are proven. Sanju Samson is a top-quality player; he hasn’t received enough chances. There should not be double standards. Even vice-captains have been dropped before. If it is in the team’s interest to rest Gill and bring in someone else, there is nothing wrong with it,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“But now it feels like the time has come for changes. You dropped players like Jaiswal, you kept Sanju Samson on the bench without giving him consistent chances, even though he scored heavily as an opener. He hit three centuries in five T20 innings, something no one in history has done. Some players get very few chances, while others get extended runs because you want to settle them in the team. That is clearly visible. But now, I think the pressure has increased so much that it is time for a change somewhere,” he added.
Kaif also observed that Gill’s slump is also due to the overload of responsibilities across formats.
“I have said this before: Shubman Gill has received too many responsibilities at once. Test captaincy, ODI captaincy, T20 vice-captaincy no player can carry that much weight at once. It is simply not possible. Responsibilities should be given gradually.”
“IPL conditions are different; international cricket against South Africa, Pakistan, England, New Zealand is at a completely different level. I feel he has been given too much too soon. That is why he picked up that neck issue earlier. That was not really a neck issue; it was an accumulated workload taking a toll on the body. You cannot stay at your peak continuously,” he added.
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