NEW DELHI: The year 2025 brought a change in leadership in Indian cricket, with Shubman Gill being elevated to captain of the Test and ODI teams and vice-captain in T20Is.

Gill embraced the responsibility with a record-breaking performance in his first Test series as captain against England, amassing 754 runs in five matches to surpass Sunil Gavaskar's record of 732 runs for the highest tally by an Indian captain in a five-Test series.

However, the year ended on a slightly sour note for Gill, as his slump in form in the shortest format of the game saw him dropped from India's 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Gill, however, chose to reflect with gratitude, embracing every experience the year offered. Calling it a truly special phase of his journey, he shared a video montage on social media that traced a season of contrasts - marked by setbacks, valuable lessons, and memorable highs that defined his year.

"2025, you were truly special to me. So many lessons, experiences, and memories to be grateful for. Carrying it all forward into 2026," Gill wrote while posting a reel on his official Instagram handle.

Gill looks to rediscover his touch

Gill was included in Punjab's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad earlier, he missed the team's opening four matches. His return to domestic cricket comes as he seeks to regain rhythm in the limited-overs formats following his exclusion from India's T20I roadmap.

The batter was left out of both the New Zealand T20I series and India's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Earlier in the year, he had earned a recall to the T20I side for the Asia Cup, where he was appointed vice-captain, ending a gap of over a year away from the format.

However, the stint did not go as planned, with Gill managing 291 runs across 15 innings at an average of 24.25 without a single fifty in 2025, a return that fell short of expectations.