Shubman Gill’s omission was the biggest talking point of India’s 15-member squad announced for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand on Saturday (December 20).
Gill’s return to the T20I fold as deputy during the Asia Cup 2025 didn’t yield best of returns as he scored only 127 runs in seven innings at an average of 21.16 and a strike rate of 151.19.
The right-hander failed to make a mark in the subsequent five T20Is on the tour of Australia, amassing 132 runs at a strike rate of 136.08 without a half-century. He produced scores of 4, 0 and 28 in three games of the just-concluded five-T20I against South Africa at home.
Pressure was mounting on Gill, especially with Sanju Samson warming the bench. As it turned out, the 26-year-old was dropped from the side, and Axar Patel was named the new vice-captain.
Additionally, Jitesh Sharma was left out of the side, with Ishan Kishan being slotted in as the second wicketkeeper-batter after his dominating performance in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Jharkhand.
Finisher Rinku Singh also returned to the Indian T20I side after being ignored for the just-concluded five-match series against South Africa.
Here’s how Indian cricket fraternity reacted to national team’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad:
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026 and New Zealand series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan
