 "Shubman Gill has been struggling with poor form in T20Is. Image: AFP")
Shubman Gill’s shock exclusion from the Indian side for the T20 World Cup has made headlines. The right-hander was expected to be the captain of the Indian side in all three formats but suddenly he finds himself out of the 20-over side. The move came as a shock since the squad for the T20 World Cup looked almost settled. As it turned out, it was not.
Gill was brought into the T20 team ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. He was straightaway appointed vice captain and that meant he would start in the playing XI every game. That pushed Sanju Samson out of the side who had been regularly opening for India since the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
However, Gill could not find form despite being consistently persisted with. Ultimately, the axe fell on him right before the announcement of the T20 World Cup squad.
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Gill’s axing has created ‘confusion’?
A PTI report suggested that Gill’s ouster is the strategic call taken by head coach Gautam Gambhir. The 25-year-old had scored just 291 runs in 15 innings without a single fifty since his comeback.
The report says that Gambhir’s call on dropping Gill has led to a “confused arena with a lot of players not exactly feeling secure.” Previous reports have also stated that Gill was not even informed about the decision to drop him beforehand.
“If Indian cricket’s next poster boy could be dumped by the wayside, the next omission number could have anyone’s name written on it,” the report stated.
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View AllEarlier chief selector Ajit Agarkar had hinted that the team management trusts Gill but he has been dropped due to his poor form in the format.
“We know what a quality player he is, but, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment,” Agarkar had said in the press conference for India’s squad announcement.
Gambhir’s decision to go without Gill for the T20 World Cup has been a point of discussion in cricketing circles. If India do not do well in their title defence, this uncertainty in team selection could come back to bite Gambhir and Agarkar both.
“People who have the last word in the BCCI will have enough time to take an informed call about split coaching or having a single coach across formats, after analysing India’s performance at the global meet,” the PTI report added.