T20 World Cup in India may be SKY’s final stint as captain

India’s national selectors are expected to play safe when they meet on Saturday to finalise the 15-member squad for next year’s T20 World Cup, with continuity set to outweigh current form concerns. While skipper Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill have struggled for runs, no major surprises are anticipated so close to the global event, which begins on February 7.

Although the BCCI is allowed to make changes to the squad until the start of the tournament, the prevailing view is that drastic decisions at this stage could disrupt team balance. The same squad is also likely to be picked for the upcoming T20 series against New Zealand, effectively making it the World Cup core group.

Behind the scenes, however, there is a growing sense that this T20 World Cup could be Suryakumar’s last as India’s T20I captain. At 35, and with a prolonged lean patch stretching over the last year, his position is being protected largely by his leadership role. Across 24 matches in the past 14 months, the runs have dried up, but selectors appear unwilling to change captains with only five games remaining before India’s opening match against the USA in Mumbai.

Gill’s indifferent form has further strengthened Suryakumar’s case. Once seen as the future all-format captain, Gill’s struggles have stalled that transition, prompting the selectors to stick with the existing leadership group for the time being.

There are no open slots in the 15 as of now, though Yashasvi Jaiswal’s name continues to hover around selection discussions. The aggressive left-hander has been more consistent and versatile in the T20 format than both Gill and Sanju Samson. However, Samson currently occupies the reserve opener’s role and doubles up as a backup wicketkeeper, while Gill’s vice-captaincy status makes him hard to drop.

Selectors may consider including Jaiswal as an extra player for the New Zealand series to keep him ready in case conditions or form demand a late change during the World Cup, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka.

Another area of mild concern is Washington Sundar, who has yet to make a significant impact with the bat in 57 T20Is. Still, his value as a bowling all-rounder keeps him in the frame.

On paper, India’s squad looks formidable, packed with IPL-proven match-winners. Yet, the most glaring issue remains the lack of form among two of the top three batters, a concern the selectors are choosing to live with in the interest of stability.

India Likely 15:

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar

Likely Stand Bys (5/6): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Shahbaz Ahmed/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna.