India, Oct. 6 -- Former batter Robin Uthappa offered a blunt assessment of Shubman Gill's elevation as ODI captain, stating that the youngster is still a long way from earning the all-format leadership role, especially with his inconsistent record in T20Is. Shubman's stature in Indian cricket has soared this year, with his elevation to Test and ODI captaincy firmly establishing him as the new face of Indian cricket. He has already proved his mettle in Tests and ODIs, but his T20I numbers are still below par. Though Shubman serves as vice-captain in T20Is, his stats-705 runs in 28 matches at an average of 28.20 and a strike rate of 141.28-have drawn scrutiny.

He was picked over Yashasvi Jaiswal in the recently concluded Asia Cup, where In...