India T20 World Cup Squad Announcement Highlights: Shubman Gill snub a real surprise, says Sunil Gavaskar

"Almost certainly, the chairman of the selection committee — and knowing Ajit Agarkar — I’m pretty sure he’ll be on the phone to Shubman, trying to explain to him why they took the call that they did.And I think, like Saba said, it’s a course correction. In the sense that when Shubman came into the T20 squad, Sanju Samson went down the order. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had formed a very good opening pair — a left-hand, right-hand combination — looking to hit the first ball of the game for a six and getting India off to fabulous starts," said Gavaskar on Star Sports.

"So I think that is something Ajit will definitely speak to Shubman about — assuring him that he’s always going to be in the discussion. But for this particular tournament, considering the fact that he’s had some injuries and hasn’t been in the best of touch, they’ve left him out. That doesn’t mean he won’t be part of future teams," he added.

India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026 squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Axar Patel (VC), Ishan Kishan (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar

"We’ve seen in the IPL he’s very, very good. So the T20 format is not something strange for him. But maybe just that little bit of lack of form, lack of touch, might have gone against him. I do hope Shubman takes it in the right spirit. Because all our doors want the very best for him. I said that some of these injuries that he’s had have been a little freakish. The neck injury, and then of course now recently the toe injury, because of which he couldn’t play the last couple of games," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

"But, to be honest, yes, I think the omission of Shubman Gill, a bit of a surprise. Not a bit of a surprise. It’s a real surprise. He is a classy, quality batter who’s had a fabulous season with the bat.

"Yes, I know he struggled for these few matches against the South Africans. But class always tells in the end. Form is always a little temporary.  He was also coming after a long layoff, so he was not in any rhythm. One can understand that when you’re not in a rhythm and you’re playing the shortest format of the game, where you’ve got to go bang, bang. However much you can say that you can play that, if you’re a natural bat, he’s more Test batter. You can see all his natural bent is to be playing along the ground, to be easing it into the gaps. It doesn’t come easily then to be able to play the kind of shots that get you runs quickly.

"So he had a little bit of a problem, but he’s very good indeed," said Gavaskar on Star Sports.

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. Once again, this is more about team balance—specifically the idea of having two wicketkeepers at the top—than about individual ability.

Q: How did team combinations influence selection decisions?

A: Combinations are central to everything right now. If your wicketkeeper is batting at the top, you need cover. That’s why we felt it was important to have another keeper in the squad. At the moment, Hitesh has been there and hasn’t really done anything wrong.

Q: What was the thinking behind the vice-captaincy decision?

A: Continuity played a big role. Shubman was the vice-captain, but since he’s not in the squad, someone else had to take that role. In the past, when Shubman wasn’t playing T20s due to Test commitments, Axar served as vice-captain. So this decision is about maintaining continuity rather than making a fresh statement.
 

"Since the tournament is happening in our country. We won't have any problem in naming replacements. Hence, we haven't named any reserves for the squad," said Devajit Saikia in press conference.

"It's always nice to see people performing in domestic cricket. But we only have 15 spots to fill. We can take ten names here and say that they've missed out. However, we have no place as we can only pick 15," said Agarkar in press conference.

"This rough patch has been long. All players have gone through it. I know what to do. I have time to fix it. We will definitely see Surya the batter," said Suryakumar in press conference.

"Nobody's talking about Jaiswal. He was in the last world cup squad. Unfortunately, he has to miss out," said Agarkar in press conference.

"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," said Suryakumar Yadav in the press conference.

Suryakumar Yadav reckons that Gill being dropped is not something that is related to his form but rather how they wanted to strengthen the middle order by bringing someone like Washington Sundar or a Rinku Singh.

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, says Suryakumar Yadav

"He was the no 1 T20 batter in the world we know what he brings to the table. We  have full faith in our captain to deliver during the World Cup," said Agarkar in the press conference.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has said that they have two-three combinations ready already after looking at our 15-member squad. 

Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar has backed the selection of four spinners in the team, saying having both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy in the team is a luxury. 

Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar has said that Ishan Kishan has been picked as an opening option alongside Sanju Samson. "A wicketkeeper at the top gives us good stability," said Agarkar.

"Shubman has been dropped due to combination. Someone has to be dropped when you picked 15. Unfortunately it's Gill this time again," said Agarkar in press conference.

The moment has come and that too, with a top surprise!!

Shubman Gill has not been named in India's T20 World Cup squad, with Axar Patel named the vice-captain in his place. 

Suryakumar Yadav continues to lead. 

Ishan Kishan's SMAT brilliance has been repaid and he gets a place in the 15-member squad.

India's T20 World Cup squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak  Varma, Hardik Pabdya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku SIngh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan