'It's not the end of the road': Former India spinner backs Shubman Gill after T20 World Cup snub

NEW DELHI: Indian selectors sent out a blunt message ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in February, dropping Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill from the squad after a prolonged slump in the shortest format. The call, announced on December 20, underlined India's uncompromising approach as they look to defend the title at home.

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Gill, 26, has scored only 291 runs in his last 15 T20 matches at an average of 24.25, numbers that ultimately worked against him despite his stature across formats. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was direct in his assessment. “Shubman Gill is short of runs at the moment,” he said while addressing the media in Mumbai.




Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, however, was quick to put the omission in perspective, stressing that it should not be read as a demotion. “No, it's not a signal to Gill, you know, that he wasn't really taking his place as granted. But the competition is so much and they've got, you know, too many players at the present scenario who can fill the slot and can do well for the team,” Harbhajan said.

He added that Gill's journey with the national side was far from over. “And this is not the end of the road for Gill. He's a great, great player with beautiful technique. I think he will make a brilliant comeback. And not to forget, he's still a Test captain for India.”

In contrast to Gill's exclusion, Suryakumar Yadav was retained as captain despite his own struggles with form. A T20 specialist, Suryakumar has managed just 244 runs in his last 22 innings without a single fifty. Agarkar backed him strongly, saying, “We have full faith in our captain to deliver during the World Cup.” Suryakumar himself admitted his “rough patch” had lasted too long but sounded confident about turning it around.

Harbhajan echoed the selectors' logic, pointing to team balance over individual profiles. “I was listening to Ajit [Agarkar] and Surya [Suryakumar Yadav], they were looking at the combination of the team, which will be best in the format. So I think giving that, those conditions and combinations, that respect. They chose this team. So Gill is a class player, there's no doubt about it, and he'll make a great comeback.”

Axar Patel was named vice-captain, while Ishan Kishan earned a recall on the back of strong domestic form. India will fine-tune preparations during a five-match home T20I series against New Zealand from January 21, their final assignment before the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka and feature 20 teams.

India squad for T20 World Cup 2026

• Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Axar Patel (vice-capt) Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan.

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