Shreyas Iyer vs Shubman Gill: Who deserves to be the next India captain?

Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are two primary contenders to become the next captain of the Indian team. Both players have impressed fans as well as experts with their captaincy credentials. Shreyas is 30 years old, while Shubman is just 25.

The former has more experience leading teams in the IPL (Indian Premier League) as well as in domestic cricket. However, Shubman hasn't had much experience captaining sides.

Shubman, however, does have the experience of leading India—something that Shreyas doesn't. The Punjab batter led a young Indian side to a 4–1 win against Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series in Harare. Shreyas, on the other hand, has found more success as a captain. He guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in IPL 2024. Later in the year, he led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title.

Shreyas has led Mumbai in 13 SMAT matches and 21 Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has captained in one first-class match and two T20 matches (excluding the IPL). Shreyas captained Delhi Capitals (DC) for the first time midway through IPL 2018. In the following season, he helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. In IPL 2020, the right-handed batter spearheaded DC to its first IPL final.

Shubman was appointed as the captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of IPL 2024. This was the first time he led a side in the IPL. Things didn't go his way, as the 2022 champions failed to reach the playoffs for the first time. They finished at No. 8 on the points table. However, Shubman has bounced back strongly this season, as GT are positioned at the top of the table with only 13 games remaining in the round-robin phase of the tournament.

On the other hand, the Shreyas-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) are placed at No. 3 with seven wins from 11 games. They are on course to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Shreyas has 47 wins and 32 defeats as captain in the IPL. Meanwhile, Shubman has 13 victories and 10 losses from 23 encounters as skipper in the 10-team tournament.

Batting performances as captain

One crucial aspect to observe after a player is appointed as the captain of a team is whether, and how, the promotion affects his game. Some batters excel when given added responsibility, while others get bogged down by the pressure that comes with it.

Shreyas has amassed 2,399 runs from 80 innings as captain in the IPL. He has an average of 35.80 and a strike rate of 135.69 in the cash-rich league. Meanwhile, Shubman has scored 934 runs from 23 innings as a skipper in the IPL. These runs have come at an average of 44.47 and a strike rate of 150.16.

Shubman's batting records as a captain are better than Shreyas's. However, the latter has delivered better results for his team as a skipper. Shreyas could be a better option as captain in T20Is, while Shubman may take over in Tests. Rohit Sharma is set to continue as captain in ODI cricket, with a change unlikely before the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Shreyas will be nearing the twilight of his career at that point. It might be a better idea to appoint Shubman as the all-format captain after the 2027 ODI World Cup. The Punjab batter would have gained substantial captaincy experience by then.

What will work in Shubman's favour is his batting skill set, which is well-suited for all formats. Shreyas is a quality batter who can dismantle the best bowling attacks around the world on his day. However, he isn't as technically sound as Shubman, who is also far more consistent.