'I couldn’t believe that': Australia legend Ricky Ponting on Shubman Gill's T20 World Cup squad omission

Shubman Gill’s absence from India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 has surprised many. One of them is former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. The cricket great admitted he was stunned when he saw Gill’s name missing from the list.

Ponting spoke about the decision on the ICC Review. He said the omission was hard to understand at first. According to him, Gill’s talent is unquestionable, even if his recent white-ball form has not been at its best.



“I couldn’t believe that,” Ponting said. “I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket, but the last time I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK, where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anybody bat.”

Ponting added that the decision shows how strong Indian cricket is right now. He said when a player of Gill’s quality cannot make a World Cup squad, it speaks volumes about the depth in the team.

“If someone as good as Shubman Gill doesn’t get picked in a World Cup squad, it shows how many quality players they have.”

Gill returned to India’s T20I side during the Asia Cup. Since then, he has played 15 innings in the format. He scored 291 runs at an average of 24.25. His strike rate was 137.26. However, he did not score a single fifty or hundred in that period. His highest score was 47, which came against Pakistan in Dubai in September last year.

The selectors felt these numbers did not fully support Gill’s case. They believed that balance in the squad was more important than individual performances.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the decision during the press conference after the squad announcement. He made it clear that the selectors still rate Gill very highly.

“There’s no doubt about Shubman’s quality,” Agarkar said.

“He may not have scored as many runs recently, but that doesn’t change how highly we rate him.”

Agarkar said the decision was mainly about team combination. He pointed out that the team wanted two wicketkeepers at the top of the order.

“This is more about team balance than individual ability,” he said.