Ex-India Star Slams BCCI Over Shubman Gill's Vice-Captaincy, Questions Sanju Samson's Snub

Former Indian batsman Subramaniam Badrinath has publicly questioned the team management's continued overlooking of Sanju Samson in the T20I format. Badrinath also criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for appointing Shubman Gill as vice-captain, citing the batter's relatively poor performance in T20Is. His comments came after Gill's dismissal for a golden duck in the second T20I against South Africa.

Badrinath expressed his frustration at seeing Samson sidelined, despite the player having scored three T20I centuries in the past year.

"Sanju Samson has scored three hundreds. We are talking about T20 cricket, and he has three hundreds. What more do you want as a player? It is a little painful to see a player who has performed so well warming the bench," Badrinath stated, according to India Today.

In contrast, Gill's T20I record has been less impressive. In his last 14 T20I innings, he has scored only 263 runs, averaging 23.90.

"He (Gill) is the vice-captain of the team. I think only a player who is a certainty in the XI can be captain or vice-captain. He has been made vice-captain with these numbers. I can understand if there are no back-ups, but India have no dearth of talent in T20s," Badrinath added.

Gill's return to the T20 setup occurred during the Asia Cup in September, following his key role in India's two Test victories in the drawn five-match series against England. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. his form in T20s has since been a cause for concern, leading to questions about his place in the team.