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Drama at Team India selection meeting! Gill's T20 World Cup selection got questioned: Report

Rajgeeta Yadav

Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar [Source: AFP]Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar [Source: AFP]

On Saturday, Team India announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, and the biggest surprise was the exclusion of Shubman Gill. Gill, who is currently India’s T20 vice-captain, was expected to be a sure pick. 

Notably, his omission shocked fans everyone, especially because he had recently been given a leadership role and was opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma.

However, Gill’s recent performances in T20 cricket have not been impressive. His poor form, low strike rate, and inconsistency worked against him when the selectors sat down to finalise the squad.

3 Indian selectors opposed Gill’s inclusion in India’s T20 WC squad

According to senior News18 journalist Rajeev Mishra, the BCCI selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar and includes Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, and newly appointed selectors RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha had some inner debates. During the selection meeting, there was a clear division of opinion.

Ajit Agarkar, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir, strongly wanted Shubman Gill in the World Cup squad. They believed Gill still had value and could contribute despite his recent struggles. However, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, and one more selector were firmly against Gill’s inclusion. These three selectors had already made up their minds before the meeting and felt Gill did not fit into the current team combination.

Since the committee has five members, the decision went to a majority vote. With three selectors opposing Gill, he was eventually left out of the squad. This made it an unusual situation where even the vice-captain was dropped. 

Interestingly, the squad announcement was made by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia during the press conference, which is not normally seen.

Ajit Agarkar later explained the decision by saying that team combinations were the main reason. He clarified that Gill was not dropped because he lacked talent but because only 15 players could be selected.

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan made a comeback after two years, earning his spot due to strong performances in domestic cricket. Rinku Singh was also included, while Sanju Samson took over the second opener’s role.