‘Reservation quota for captain and vice captain’: Fans express outrage as Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav fail to fire once again

NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav’s woes continued in the second T20I against South Africa at Mullanpur as both fell cheaply again.

Gill was first to go for a golden duck, undo by Ngidi’s good-length delivery on off stump. He edged it straight to Reeza Hendricks, who took a clean catch. It was a rare first-ball dismissal and an early blow for India.

Gill’s scores against South Africa now read 0, 8, 4, and 0, and in his last 13 T20I innings, he has crossed 30 only three times, underlining his ongoing struggles in the format.

A few overs later, Suryakumar fell to Marco Jansen. A length ball angled across wide outside off and Yadav edged faintly to Quinton de Kock. The review confirmed the wicket.

Suryakumar in T20I in 2025:

–Ings: 17

–Runs: 201

–Avg: 14.35

–SR: 126.41

–Ducks: 3

–HS:47*

Fans quickly suggested alternatives like Sanju Samson or Yashasvi Jaiswal for the opening slots. With both early wickets gone, India’s middle order now faces the challenge of steadying the innings and keeping the chase alive.

Here’s how fans reacted:

Shubman Gill in the last 14 T20is:

20* (9), 10 (7), 5 (8), 47 (28), 29 (19), 4 (3), 12 (10), 37* (20), 5 (10), 15 (12), 46 (39), 29* (16), 4 (2), 0 (1).

– 263 runs.
– 23.90 average.
– 142.93 strike rate. pic.twitter.com/getuZ04k27

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 11, 2025

Suryakumar Yadav:
– After his last fifty, he’s gone 20 innings without another.
– Only two 30+ scores in those 20 innings.
– Three ducks in that same stretch.
– In 15 of 2 innings, he hasn’t even crossed 15 runs.
– In 10 of 20 innings, he couldn’t get past 5.

If any other… pic.twitter.com/oFwGIawUHK

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) December 11, 2025

Yashasvi Jaiswal>> overrated shubman gill 🥀 pic.twitter.com/xvLXtogCWl

— Krishna (@iiamkrshn) December 11, 2025

Did India 🇮🇳 have a reservation quota for Captain and Vice captain?

I have never seen Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill performing in high pressure match 🤐 pic.twitter.com/Nx8gopjiTw

— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) December 11, 2025

Meet Shubman Gill

– Never Performs In Important Games
Ended Ishan’s career to open in ODI
Ended Jaiswal’s career to open in T20
Ended Sanju Samson opening career
Dropped Ruturaj From National team

Just to choke in every crucial match, Shubman Gill for you.. pic.twitter.com/uy4KjKaZnz

— Blankkkk (@blank_07x) December 11, 2025

If playing on captaincy quota is an art Suryakumar Yadav is an artist pic.twitter.com/nIv5wm1PTv

— Chinmay Shah (@chinmayshah28) December 11, 2025

Common Knowledge:

Ruturaj Gaikwad🗿 >>>>>> Shubman Gill 🤡 pic.twitter.com/nd6UFLyHW4

— 𝙇𝙙𝙙𝙙𝙖 (@luckycskky7) December 11, 2025

Shubman Gill gone for duck again, man when the hell this favoritism gonna end??????? pic.twitter.com/AcvcImlxTq

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) December 11, 2025

Meet Shubman Gill

-No fifty in the last 18 T20i innings.
-Pays low tier sellout journalists like @rohitjuglan to run -ve PR on anyone who could take his spot
-Agarkar & Gambhir’s parchi pick.
-Because of him, Sanju Samson (3 T20I 💯s) sits on bench, Rinku Singh is out of squad. pic.twitter.com/Zck8Nrfo6F

— Anurag™ (@Samsoncentral) December 11, 2025

OMG, what kind of favoritism is this from Gautam Gambhir towards Shubman Gill?🤦🏻

He got out for a duck today, how many chances will he keep getting?

Meanwhile, top openers like Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are sitting out while he continues to get opportunities.

SHAME… pic.twitter.com/gReX4VvKNL

— Mention Cricket (@MentionCricket) December 11, 2025