The BCCI, in a press conference led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand next year. The squad announcement left many fans stunned after it was revealed that India Test and ODI skipper and T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill has been dropped from the 15-member squad, with Ishan Kishan named as his replacement.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, after the team announcement, confirmed why the BCCI decided to drop Shubman Gill, saying, “Gill is out of runs and it is unfortunate that he is missing out on a second T20 World Cup in a row, but we decided to take a different approach and we are confident about the team combination.”
Axar named vice-captain as Gill misses out
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the decision was driven by team balance and role clarity rather than individual stature. He explained that with the team opting for wicketkeepers who can bat at the top of the order, combinations became the priority. Agarkar acknowledged Shubman Gill’s quality but admitted he was unlucky to miss out, especially given his recent lack of runs and absence from the previous World Cup. With Gill not in the squad, Axar Patel was appointed vice-captain, while Rinku Singh’s inclusion was aimed at strengthening the lower middle order and providing added flexibility.
Gill’s poor run with the bat in T20Is
While Shubman Gill enjoyed a brilliant year with the bat in Tests this year and was even named ODI skipper, replacing Rohit Sharma, he was unable to leave a mark in T20Is. Gill’s last fifty-plus score in the shortest format of the game came back in July 2024, when he scored an unbeaten 58 against Zimbabwe. After that, in 18 T20I innings, Gill was only able to amass 377 runs at an average of 20.94, with his best score being 47 vs Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2025.
While getting dropped from the World Cup might come as a setback for Gill, this will certainly not be the end of the road for him, as he still represents India in the other two formats, and a good outing in IPL 2026 can put him right back in India’s T20 plans in the future.
