Gavaskar Addresses Shubman Gill's Exclusion from India's T20 World Cup Roster

Following Shubman Gill's omission from India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad, cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar has shared his thoughts on the matter and offered words of encouragement to the young batsman. The decision to leave Gill out, coupled with his removal as vice-captain, has raised eyebrows among fans and cricket analysts alike.

Axar Patel has stepped in to assume the role of India’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Gavaskar, speaking on Star Sports, urged Gill to handle this setback with grace and maturity. He noted, "I hope Shubman takes this in the right spirit. I wish him the best. Some of his injuries have been strange."

Despite this setback, Gavaskar remains optimistic about Gill's future in cricket. He believes that this decision isn't a career-ender for the promising player. Furthermore, Gavaskar expressed confidence that chief selector Ajit Agarkar would personally communicate with Gill to explain the rationale behind the selection choice. "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," he stated.

Gavaskar also suggested that the team management is attempting to rectify earlier tactical decisions. He pointed out that when Gill was reinstated into the T20 squad, Sanju Samson experienced a demotion in the batting order. Prior to this, Samson and Abhishek Sharma had forged a successful opening partnership, characterized by their left-right batting combination and aggressive intent from the first ball. Gavaskar elaborated, "And I think 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."

Elaborating on the situation, Gavaskar added, "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." Gill's recent form in T20 cricket has been a concern, and a series of injuries have impacted his consistency. Since his return to the T20I side during the Asia Cup 2025, he has participated in 15 matches without registering a single half-century. These factors ultimately contributed to the selectors' decision to exclude him from the World Cup squad. In summary, while acknowledging the disappointment, Gavaskar projects that Gill remains a player of interest for future competitions, provided he can regain his form and fitness.