3 reasons why Sanju Samson should've been India's captain instead of Shubman Gill for Zimbabwe tour

Team India will be led by Shubman Gill when they travel to Zimbabwe for five T20Is next month. The BCCI announced the youngster as the leader of a 15-man squad that features four uncapped players and plenty of talent.

The five-match series will commence in Harare on Saturday, June 6. Gill, who led the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), will have two more seasoned pros to call upon. Fellow IPL skippers Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad are also part of the squad.

In fact, it's even arguable that Samson should've been the man to lead the Men in Blue's second-string team. There are a few key factors that place the 29-year-old as the ideal candidate for the job.

India's squad for the Zimbabwe T20Is: Ꮪhubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.

Here are three reasons why Sanju Samson should've been picked as India's captain ahead of Shubman Gill for the Zimbabwe tour.

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#3 Is it too early for Shubman Gill's captaincy venture?

IPL 2023: Qualifier 2 - Gujarat Titans v Mumbai Indians

Before captaining the Titans in IPL 2024, Shubman Gill had barely any captaincy experience. While he did a decent job in his first season at the helm, the GT skipper saw his team fall out of playoff contention quite early.

Gill's personal form, which seemed to start off well, wasn't great either. Captaincy might not have been the cause for that in an underperforming Gujarat batting lineup, but it's definitely worth asking whether he is ready for the responsibility.

Gill might need a few more games and exposure to different situations under his belt before he can captain the national team. The 24-year-old is certainly an enticing long-term option, but we simply haven't seen enough of his leadership.

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#2 Gill isn't a guaranteed starter in the T20I team

New Zealand v India - 2nd T20

More concerningly, Shubman Gill isn't a guaranteed member of the Indian T20I side. This is true even for the second-string side that will be sent to Zimbabwe, with the presence of three other talented openers in Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

As mentioned earlier, Gill's IPL 2024 returns were disappointing. He hasn't set the T20I stage alight either, with only 335 runs at an average of 25.77 and a strike rate of 147.58. Those numbers are also boosted by a lone century he hammered against New Zealand.

Gill, who has only two double-digit scores in his last eight T20I innings, needs to nail his place down before he can be taken seriously as a captain.

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#1 Sanju Samson has a proven track record as captain

Northamptonshire v India - T20 Tour Match

Sanju Samson has led the Rajasthan Royals to an IPL final and multiple playoffs. He has also shown impressive smarts as a leader, having often had to contend with a five-man bowling unit and a shallow batting lineup.

Only eight players have captained more matches in IPL history than Samson, who has been at the helm for 61 encounters. The 29-year-old has earned widespread praise for the manner in which he has ushered in a new generation at Rajasthan and shuffled his bowlers around.

Had India selected an entirely inexperienced squad, Gill being appointed captain would've made perfect sense. With Samson in the picture, though, it's debatable.