'Suprised by Gill's omission from Indian squad for T20I World Cup'; legendary cricketer opens up

MUMBAI: The exclusion of vice-captain Shubman Gill from the Indian team for the 2026 T20I World Cup has become a major talking point in the cricket world. Poor performances in recent matches against South Africa and concerns over injury are being seen as the main reasons for Gill being left out of the squad. Now, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has openly said that he was surprised by Gill’s omission. Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar shared his views on the decision.

“For me, Gill’s exclusion is surprising. He has performed well after the last World Cup. It is true that he struggled to find form in some matches against South Africa. But form is temporary, while class is permanent,” Gavaskar said. He added that Gill could not find consistency in the T20 format as he was focusing more on Test and ODI cricket.

Gavaskar also pointed out that Gill returned to T20 cricket after a long break, which made it difficult for him to regain his earlier form. "When you lose rhythm at the start in T20 cricket, it becomes very hard to recover. Gill's style of play is more suited to Test cricket," he said.

Gill had stayed away from the T20I team for nearly a year ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. During this period, other players, including Malayali cricketer Sanju Samson, delivered strong performances as openers. Although Gill was appointed captain in Tests and ODIs and was expected to take on a similar role in T20s, his recent poor form forced the BCCI to rethink its plans. The decision to drop Gill is seen as a strong move by the BCCI as it looks to rebuild the team ahead of the 2026 T20I World Cup, which will be held in India.