Shreyas Iyer hype putting undue pressure on Shubman Gill? Gavaskar fires warning shots

Shreyas Iyer has masses rallying behind him, questioning the BCCI over the constant ignorance of his selection in the Indian team. The cricketer himself has not directly taken any jabs or made any statements but has worked silently. From the day Iyer lost his central contract a year back to now, the Mumbai batsman has claimed multiple significant achievements. The IPL 2024 title as the KKR captain, Irani Cup, SMAT for Mumbai, and a defining performance for India at the ICC Champions Trophy, Iyer has done it all. Now, with Iyer's exploits getting hard to ignore, the discussions are rampant on whether the PBKS captain deserves a captaincy seat in the Indian side.

What has led to Shreyas Iyer being positioned as India's ideal captaincy prospect?

Despite returning to domestic cricket, as mandated by the BCCI, Iyer couldn't get into the India squad for the England Tour. In a phase that marked the end of an era for Indian Test cricket, Shubman Gill was handed the Test captaincy. Karun Nair got his much-awaited call-back into the India squad, while the BCCI picked youngsters like Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh to provide a maiden call-up. Despite the massive overhaul, the Mumbai skipper, Shreyas Iyer, could not get even an entry into the squad, let alone a spot in the captaincy race.

The BCCI selection chair, Ajit Agarkar, explained that the Indian Test setup simply doesn't have any room for Shreyas Iyer. Iyer, meanwhile, kept himself busy charting new heights as the captain of Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. Under the bold and upfront leadership of Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings finally found a spot in the IPL playoffs for the first time in over a decade. PBKS qualified for the IPL 2025 playoffs at the top spot of the points table. Moreover, despite a setback in Qualifier 1 against RCB, Iyer starred with a defining knock against Mumbai Indians, as PBKS won Qualifier 2 to enter the IPL 2025 final.

The IPL 2025 final marked the first time PBKS played the IPL final since 2014 and only their second venture in the title clash. Iyer, an IPL champion with Kolkata Knight Riders last season, became the only captain to lead three teams into the IPL final. Previously, Iyer claimed the record of being the first captain to lead Delhi Capitals into an IPL final, when he booked the title clash against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020. While PBKS fell short by 6 runs in the IPL 2025 final as RCB picked their maiden trophy, there have been little to no complaints about Iyer's captaincy.

The batter headlined Punjab's campaign in the season, scoring 604 runs in 17 innings at an average of 50.33. The captain emerged as the highest run-scorer for PBKS in the season where they entered the final. Moreover, his unbeaten 87-run knock against MI in Qualifier 2 made all the difference as Punjab pushed the five-time champions away and entered the final. Now, with the IPL action over, the debate around Iyer's snub from the India squad for the five-match India vs England Test series has picked up pace. While Iyer is not even a first-choice pick of the board in the format, discussions frame him as the ideal successor to Rohit Sharma as India's next Test captain.

Sunil Gavaskar warns that the hype around Shreyas Iyer could deter Shubman Gill in his captaincy stint

Sunil Gavaskar has voiced concerns over the rising buzz around Shreyas Iyer being positioned as India’s next captain, especially after his strong showing in IPL 2025. The legendary former India skipper isn’t entirely convinced by the narrative that has gained traction following Iyer’s stellar leadership record in the tournament. Iyer performed exceptionally well as the skipper of Punjab Kings in the season. Yet, Gavaskar believes that the growing spotlight on Shreyas Iyer as a future India captain is placing unnecessary pressure on Shubman Gill, who has only recently taken charge as India’s new Test skipper.

The former Indian skipper emphasized the importance of backing Gill, stating that the 25-year-old needs space and time to establish himself. Gavaskar opined that Gill requires stability to settle into his leadership role rather than being constantly measured against the exploits of others like Iyer. Gavaskar feels that the hype could derail Gill’s growth if it continues unchecked.

"If he is worthy of being the captain or not, we first need to look at Shubman Gill, who is the Test captain. We need to give him opportunities. If we talk about such things, then we are creating undue pressure on Shubman Gill," Gavaskar said. "There is no need to create pressure on Shubman Gill before the England tour. You first need to realise that Shreyas Iyer is not even in the Indian team. There should be no talk about him being made the next Indian captain," he added.

Shubman Gill left the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant behind to claim India's Test captaincy. Amid the concerns of workload management of Bumrah, the BCCI found a reliable and long-term leadership prospect in the 25-year-old batter. Gill is yet to prove his batting prowess in overseas conditions. In England specifically, India's new Test captain has played just a single Test match, scoring 17 and 4 respectively at Edgbaston.

Going into the upcoming England Tour, Gill will have Rishabh Pant as his deputy along with the experience of seasoned picks like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, in a juncture as crucial as this, Gavaskar wants full backing for Gill and the show of confidence in the youngster's abilities to lead India.

"When he makes a return to the side then you can have a look at whether he can be made the captain or not. We need to show tremendous confidence in Shubman Gill, who has just been made the Test captain. He is our India captain," said Gavaskar. "You shouldn't create doubts in his mind, there should be no pressure on him. You shouldn't create pressure, saying, 'Oh look, there is Shreyas Iyer'," he added.