Why Shubman Gill potentially becoming India's all-format vice captain isn't right?

Shubman Gill could likely be India's vice-captain across formats. Some of the reports claimed the possibility of it being a reality. If it indeed turns out to be true, it might not be good for the Indian cricket. Gautam Gambhir claimed ahead of the series against Sri Lanka that Gill would be promoted to an all-format player. Making him an all-format vice captain might not be the right call.

To start from the basics, a vice-captain is someone who is a step away from being the captain of the team. India has many players who are better in a given format both as a captain and as a batter. So far in his career, Gill has established himself only in ODIs. In Tests and T20Is, he hasn't been that good. In fact, Shubman himself accepted that he needs to improve in T20Is.

In Tests, Gill had a great impact on India's win in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21. For more than 3 years, the youngster couldn't have any impact in Tests. In the Test series against England, he was one of the best batters. But that alone shouldn't give him a shot at the vice-captaincy, especially when you have a deserving option like Rishabh Pant who walks into the Test team both home and away.

Lack of exposure as a captain

In ODIs, Gill seems to be the right choice as a vice-captain. In the shortest format, Shubman has a solitary hundred to his name. In the series against Zimbabwe, he did well. Apart from them, he hasn't done anything exceptional to be the team's vice-captain. In T20Is, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Hardik Pandya, or even Yashasvi Jaiswal can be considered to be the potential options.

Moreover, Gill has less experience as a captain. His only stint as a captain was for Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024. His team finished the league with a poor record. Though he's a good captain, there's a long way for him to be considered an all-format vice-captain. A vice-captain for all formats must be someone who walks into the team across all formats and across conditions. At this point, Gill isn't that player.