Shubman Gill has been omitted from India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, with his prolonged lack of returns in the shortest format counting against him despite his stature in the national set-up.
Gill, India’s Test captain, has now gone 18 T20I innings without registering a half-century, a run that has significantly weakened his case in a format where impact and consistency are paramount. Although there have been occasional signs of promise, they have failed to offset a broader pattern of underwhelming output.
One of the few bright spots came at the 2025 Asia Cup, when Gill struck a brisk 28-ball 47 against Pakistan on his return to the T20I side. However, that innings remains a rare exception. Across 15 T20I innings this year, he has scored 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26, with a highest score of 47. Five of those innings have ended in single-digit scores, underlining concerns about his reliability at the top of the order.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav, however, played down form as the primary reason for Gill’s exclusion. He explained that team balance influenced the selection, with the management preferring a wicketkeeper-batter to open the innings.
Gill’s recent outing against South Africa did little to strengthen his case. In the T20I series, he managed scores of 4, 0 and 28, reinforcing doubts about his effectiveness in the format at present.
India’s T20 World Cup squad was announced on 20 December 2025, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side.
India squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk)
