The writing was on the wall for Shubman Gill not on Saturday, when the T20 World Cup squad was unveiled, but on Wednesday, when the fourth T20I was abandoned due to thick smog.
“That was the day it was decided that Gill won’t be picked for the T20 World Cup but till Saturday morning, India’s two-format captain was neither intimated by the chairman of selectors nor did captain Suryakumar Yadav or head coach Gautam Gambhir informed him,” a PTI report quoted a BCCI source as saying.
Gill may naturally feel disappointed and a little humiliated by the way he was brutally dropped, even though the captain, whose record over the last year has been really bad, has been given a reprieve.
As soon as word leaked out that Gill had hurt his toe while batting, it became clear that something was wrong and that the team management, led by Gambhir and Suryakumar, had moved on from Gill’s spot in the team.
According to BCCI insiders, the vice-captain wanted to participate in the Ahmedabad match because his ailment wasn’t too serious, but the team administration had already made the decision to chuck him. That was the first indication that the underperforming Indian vice-captain, who had amassed 32 runs in the three games against South Africa, would have an exit route.
The medical staff initially feared a hairline fracture, but subsequent scans showed that it was only a bruise, and he could have taken painkillers to play the Ahmedabad game.
“If making him vice-captain for Asia Cup riding on his England Test heroics was a wrong move as Sanju (Samson) had done nothing wrong, the move to drop him just five games before the start of the T20 World Cup indicates that it is more of a course correction done by Agarkar’s panel.”
“And the decision has more footprints of the head coach, who’s actually not known for maintaining continuity,” a PTI report quoted a former national selector as saying.
Chairman of Selectors Agarkar, who has been at the vanguard of considering the Punjab cricketer as India’s possible all-format leader, didn’t seem overly persuaded by this choice if one observed or listened to him.
“We know what a quality player he is, but, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment,” Agarkar said at the press conference for India’s squad announcement.
“(He was) unfortunate to miss out on the last World Cup as well because, you know, we went to a different combination. But it’s the combinations more than anything else. Two keepers at the top, that’s the way we want to try. Someone has to miss out when you pick (squad of)15 and, unfortunately, it’s Gill at this point,” he added.
A quick look at Gill and Suryakumar’s record would reveal that the youngster has every right to be upset. Gill scored 291 runs at a strike rate of 137 or higher in 15 innings in 2025, whereas Surya managed 218 runs at a strike rate of 123.2 in 19 innings—his lowest since making his debut for his country.
Additionally, there are rumors in the Indian team’s corridor that the captain’s right wrist is definitely not doing well. The national selection committee had to remove one of the two underperforming players, and in these situations, the captain is always granted protection.
Gill suffered since his game didn’t seem to have as much of an impact as opening partner Abhishek Sharma’s, but “SKY” was able to maintain his position because he was the captain despite a terrible one-year run. Not to mention that Gill still serves as captain in two other formats, thus this change will undoubtedly foster mistrust in the Indian dressing room.
Will Gill and Gambhir see eye to eye after this unceremonious dumping? For Suryakumar Yadav, the message is equally stark: without runs, influence evaporates — and under Gambhir, where winning is the only currency, places are expendable. Today it’s Gill; tomorrow, it could be Suryakumar.
