NEW DELHI: The Indian selectors on Saturday made a clear statement of intent ahead of the T20 World Cup, dropping Shubman Gill from the squad and recalling wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan along with Rinku Singh. The move underlined the team management’s preference for impact-driven roles over reputation, especially at the top of the order in the shortest format.Gill’s exclusion was the key call taken at the selection meeting in Mumbai. Given his recent returns, the decision did not come as a surprise.
While Gill has been consistent in Tests and ODIs, he has struggled to secure a defined role in T20Is, especially as an opener, where the team management is looking for quick starts instead of run accumulation. His powerplay strike rate and the rise of more aggressive options appear to have worked against him. Against South Africa, he scored 4, 0 and 28 in three matches.“Shubman Gill is short of runs at the moment and missed the last WC too,” chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said at the press conference.“It’s not about Gill’s form. We wanted to have a keeper at the top,” skipper Suryakumar said on Gill’s omission.Questions, however, remain around Suryakumar’s own batting form. He ended the 2025 calendar year without a fifty in T20 Internationals.In the recent T20 series against South Africa, which India won 3-1, Suryakumar scored 12, 5, 12 and 5.“I know what to do and I will do it. You will see Surya the batter. Everyone has gone through such a phase, just that mine has gone a bit longer,” Surya said after the squad announcement on Saturday.Suryakumar finished 2025 with 218 runs from 19 T20I innings, averaging 13.62 at a strike rate of 123.16, without a half-century.As India prepare to defend their T20 World Cup title, stronger batting returns from the captain will be required.
