Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explains why Shubman Gill was left out of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, detailing role-fit concerns, team balance, strike-rate demands, and how selection priorities ultimately went against the star batter.
India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement has sparked significant discussion, particularly due to the exclusion of Shubman Gill from the 15-member roster. Considering Gill’s prominence, his recent elevation to vice-captain, and his crucial role in India’s batting strategy over the last two years, this decision has ignited conversations about form, team balance, and future planning.
However, the shock was somewhat alleviated by the explanations provided shortly after. Both the selectors and the team management were quick to emphasize that Gill’s omission was not a reflection of his skills, but rather a strategic decision influenced by the team composition India aims to field in the tournament, especially at the top of the batting order. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar made it clear during the press conference that maintaining team balance, particularly at the top, took precedence over individual performances.
“There’s no doubt about Shubman’s quality. He may not have scored as many runs recently, but that doesn’t change how highly we rate him. He was also unlucky to miss out in the last World Cup when we opted for a different combination,” Agarkar said.
“Combinations more than anything else”
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“Once again, this is more about team balance—specifically the idea of having two wicketkeepers at the top—than about individual ability,” Agarkar added.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav supported this perspective, stating that the choice was motivated solely by the need for squad versatility rather than recent form.
“It’s not about his form. It’s just about the combination. We wanted to have a keeper at the top. It’s not about his form. There’s no chatter about his quality. He is a terrific player. We needed Rinku Singh. We have Washington Sundar also. So, we needed to be flexible to have multiple combinations. That’s why we have picked this squad. No question about Gill’s class,” Suryakumar said.
Gill’s recent T20I statistics have not bolstered his case either. The right-handed batsman returned to the T20I squad after missing the ODI series against South Africa due to a neck injury, with the five-match T20I series viewed as an opportunity to bounce back following a disappointing Asia Cup. Unfortunately, that resurgence never materialized.
Gill faced challenges in the first two matches, getting out cheaply in both, before showing a brief flash of form with a 28-run innings in Dharamshala. In the three games he participated in, he accumulated only 32 runs. His scores of four and zero in Cuttack and Mullanpur placed him under significant scrutiny, while his series average of 10.66 and strike rate of 103.22 highlighted his struggles in a format that requires immediate aggression.
When considering the broader context, Gill’s overall T20I performance in 2025 remains unremarkable. He accumulated 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26. While these figures are not alarming on their own, they fall short of the expectations for a vice-captain and primary opener in a World Cup-bound team.
India squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (Vice Captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh.
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