In the long tradition of cricket's unwritten power struggles, a question is quietly taking shape within Indian cricket: who will inherit the mantle of leadership when the time comes? Former cricketer Manoj Tiwary has offered a candid forecast — that Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are on a collision course for the captaincy, with head coach Gautam Gambhir's apparent preference for Gill casting a long shadow over Iyer's ambitions. The contest, still nascent, speaks to how institutional favor and individual merit do not always travel the same road.
Tiwary predicts captaincy battle between Gill and Iyer, cites Gambhir's preference
There will be a fight for the captaincy between these two
Mark
So Tiwary is saying Iyer will eventually be captain, but only after a fight with Gill. What makes him confident about that prediction?
Mimi
He's looking at Iyer's track record as a captain—multiple titles with Mumbai, the IPL championship with KKR in 2024, even took Punjab Kings to a final. That's a resume. But the fight part comes from what he sees as Gambhir's preference for Gill.
Luke
Hold on. Tiwary is claiming Gambhir prefers Gill, but that's an inference, not a fact. We know Gill is Test captain and ODI vice-captain. We know Iyer was left out of the Asia Cup squad. But Agarkar said there was no space for him in the T20 tournament—that's a selection decision, not necessarily evidence of Gambhir's personal preference.
Mimi
True, but the pattern matters. Gill gets the captaincy roles. Iyer doesn't get picked for the squad. That's the pattern Tiwary is reading.
Mark
And the IPL credit issue—is that about Gambhir specifically, or about media coverage more broadly?
Mimi
Tiwary frames it as the "PR machinery" giving credit to one individual. He doesn't name Gambhir directly there, but the implication is clear given the context of the whole conversation.
Luke
Right, but that's Tiwary's interpretation of how credit was distributed. We don't have Gambhir or the KKR organization saying that's what happened. It's one person's read on the narrative around that championship.
Mark
So what's actually confirmed here versus what's speculation?
Luke
Confirmed: Gill is Test captain and ODI vice-captain. Iyer was excluded from the Asia Cup squad. Iyer has won titles as a captain. Speculation: Gambhir's personal preference for Gill, and whether that preference is driving selection decisions or captaincy assignments.
Mimi
But that's the whole point Tiwary is making—that there's a battle coming, and Gambhir's preference is the fuel for it.
Mark
And we won't know if he's right until the next captaincy decision actually happens.
Luke
Exactly. This is prediction and interpretation, not reporting on something that's already occurred.
Le Pouls
- Shreyas Iyer was left out of India's 2025 Asia Cup squad despite performances that rival those of Shubman Gill, raising pointed questions about whether selection reflects form or favor.
- Manoj Tiwary has publicly named Gautam Gambhir's preference for Gill as the force quietly tilting the captaincy race — a rare and pointed accusation aimed at the sitting head coach.
- Tiwary argues that Iyer's 2024 IPL championship win with KKR was stripped of its rightful narrative, with credit flowing toward Gambhir rather than the captain who led the side.
- Gill currently holds the Test captaincy and ODI vice-captaincy, giving him a structural advantage that Iyer — despite his trophy cabinet — has yet to match in official terms.
- With Rohit Sharma still at the helm, the succession remains unwritten, but the battle lines are already being drawn beneath the surface of Indian cricket's leadership future.
In the long tradition of cricket's unwritten power struggles, a question is quietly taking shape within Indian cricket: who will inherit the mantle of leadership when the time comes? Former cricketer Manoj Tiwary has offered a candid forecast — that Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are on a collision course for the captaincy, with head coach Gautam Gambhir's apparent preference for Gill casting a long shadow over Iyer's ambitions. The contest, still nascent, speaks to how institutional favor and individual merit do not always travel the same road.
Manoj Tiwary, the former India cricketer, has stepped into one of cricket's more delicate conversations — who will lead India next — and his answer arrives with a warning. Shreyas Iyer will eventually captain the country, he believes, but not before a hard-fought battle with Shubman Gill, a battle he says is being quietly shaped by head coach Gautam Gambhir's preference for the younger opener.
The two players currently occupy different positions in India's leadership hierarchy. Gill holds the Test captaincy and the ODI vice-captaincy. Iyer, despite being a central figure in India's one-day cricket and a proven IPL captain, was excluded from the 2025 Asia Cup squad altogether. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited a lack of space in the T20 format, but the pattern of omission and role assignment suggests the dynamics run deeper.
Tiwary's sharpest claim concerns credit. When KKR won the IPL in 2024 under Iyer's captaincy, he argues, the narrative was managed in a way that directed recognition elsewhere — toward Gambhir, who served as the franchise's mentor. Iyer, in Tiwary's telling, was left in the shadow of a story that should have been partly his. He also pointed to Iyer's broader record: multiple IPL titles, including leading Punjab Kings to a final this year, a body of work that speaks for itself.
The larger picture remains unsettled. Rohit Sharma is still India's captain across formats, and no succession is imminent. But Tiwary's reading suggests that when the moment does arrive, it will not be a quiet handover — it will be contested ground, with institutional preference and individual achievement pulling in different directions.
Manoj Tiwary, a former India cricketer, has waded into the question of who will lead Indian cricket in the years ahead, and his answer comes with a caveat: Shreyas Iyer will eventually captain the country, but only after a bruising contest with Shubman Gill—a fight Tiwary attributes to head coach Gautam Gambhir's apparent preference for Gill.
The two players occupy different corners of Indian cricket's leadership structure right now. Gill holds the Test captaincy and serves as vice-captain in ODIs. Iyer, meanwhile, is a cornerstone of India's one-day setup but was left out of the squad for the 2025 Asia Cup entirely, despite performing at a level comparable to Gill's in the IPL. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the omission by saying there simply wasn't room for Iyer in the T20 tournament. Yet the pattern of selection—and the roles assigned—suggests something deeper at play.
Tiwary's claim hinges on a reading of Gambhir's mind. The coach, he argues, favors Gill over Iyer, and this preference will shape the trajectory of Indian captaincy across formats. "I feel Shreyas Iyer will eventually lead Team India, and he will lead for a long period of time," Tiwary told Crictracker. "But at the same time, he will be fighting this captaincy battle with Shubman Gill because the current coach, Gautam Gambhir, likes Shubman Gill more than Shreyas Iyer. So there will be a fight."
The friction, as Tiwary sees it, extends beyond mere preference. He points to Iyer's record as a captain—he has won multiple titles with Mumbai, led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL championship in 2024, and took Punjab Kings to their second final in the league's history earlier this year. Yet when KKR won last year, Tiwary contends, Iyer's role in that success was obscured. "In 2024, KKR emerged as champions under his captaincy, but he didn't get the credit he deserved," Tiwary said. "The PR machinery worked in such a way that the credit was given to only one individual in the team." He suggested that Iyer should have received recognition alongside the coaching staff—Chandrakant Pandit and Bharat Arun—rather than seeing the spotlight fall primarily on Gambhir, who was KKR's mentor at the time.
The subtext is clear: Tiwary believes Iyer's accomplishments are being downplayed, and that Gambhir's influence over selection and narrative is tilting the field toward Gill. Whether that influence will ultimately determine India's captaincy future remains an open question. Rohit Sharma remains the incumbent across formats, and the succession is not yet written. But if Tiwary's reading is correct, the next chapter of Indian cricket leadership will be contested ground.
Citations marquantes
Shreyas Iyer will eventually lead Team India, and he will lead for a long period of time. But at the same time, he will be fighting this captaincy battle with Shubman Gill because the current coach, Gautam Gambhir, likes Shubman Gill more than Shreyas Iyer.— Manoj Tiwary, former India cricketer, to Crictracker
In 2024, KKR emerged as champions under his captaincy, but he didn't get the credit he deserved. The PR machinery worked in such a way that the credit was given to only one individual in the team.— Manoj Tiwary, on Shreyas Iyer's role in KKR's IPL championship
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