Mohammad Kaif Questions Selection of Shubman Gill Over Sanjuu Samson

Shubman Gill’s fortunes are changing rapidly and this time the critics are not making just the faintest of noises, they are very clear and loud. The former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif has made a remark which the majority of the fans have already expressed silently through their murmurings for weeks: the young opener needs some rest.

Kaif puts Gill’s SA T20I failures in a series where India was expecting Shubman Gill to assert his power six months before the T20 World Cup 2026, the right-hander has been looking like a fish out of water. Only two dismissals in three balls during the first two T20Is against South Africa have further inflamed the situation.

In a format that benefits largely from momentum and confidence, Gill appears to be low on both. Kaif did not beat about the bush while he made his criticism. On his YouTube channel, he very candidly explained Gill’s misfortunes and suggested that India might gain from a reordering of the batting order.

“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.

And he is indeed right. In 2024, Sanju Samson hit three centuries in five T20 innings, a phenomenal average for an opener, yet he is still not a guaranteed player.

Kaif did not just criticize Gill. He went further by questioning the overall selection pattern, pointing out that some players are allowed to enjoy a long rope while others are hardly given a handful of games.

“However, now the change of funnel seems to be in order. Players like Jaiswal dropped by you, and Sanju Samson was on the bench without being given consistent chances even though he was a big scorer as an opener. He achieved three hundred runs in five T20 innings when nobody in the world has ever done it. Some players get very few chances, while others are given elongated runs because attempts to settle them in the team are made. That is quite apparent. But now I feel the pressure has been such that it is time for change somewhere,” he continued.

Hurdle of Gill’s workload comes back to haunt him

Gill is not only encountering bowlers. He is also encountering the responsibility’s heaviness. The former Indian International player, Mohammad Kaif, stated that the young man has been overloaded with responsibilities too quickly.

“I have made this statement previously: Shubman Gill has taken over too many responsibilities all at once. Test captaincy, ODI captaincy, T20 vice-captaincy — no player can bear that much weight simultaneously. It is just not possible. Responsibilities should be given in a gradual manner.”