Shubman Gill was the notable omission from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad announced last month. He looked to be a sure-shot for the marquee event after his return to the format and being given vice-captaincy and the opener's role.
However, the 26-year-old struggled to make an impact with the bat, scoring 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike-rate of 137.26.
Consequently, Gill was axed from the side with Sanju Samson being restored as first-choice opener and Ishan Kishan selected as cover. Axar Patel was reinstated as India's vice-captain in T20Is.
Recently, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh shared his two cents on Gill’s T20 World Cup snub, backing the latter to get more opportunities in the shortest format moving forward.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill is all set to make his return as ODI captain for the upcoming New Zealand series after missing the preceding series against South Africa.
“Gill was bound to make a comeback. I had no doubt that there was any question about Shubman's return. I think Shubman Gill was left out solely because of the T20 format and the combination Team India wanted. Otherwise, I never had any doubt that he would not be in the ODI or Test team. So, he has returned as captain. I hope the team plays well, and this series will also be won by India,” Harbhajan told ANI.
Harbhajan termed the T20 World Cup squad picked by Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel as a “10/10 team” and stated that while he felt disappointed for Gill, the opener would get his chances soon.
“The team is really good. I had told that Ajit should be given 10/10 for the team. I felt a little bad for Shubman, but he will get more chances soon. All the players are match winners in their own right. Hope we can win back-to-back World Cups because we have that team,” he said.
Harbhajan also supported the selectors’ decision to appoint Gill as ODI captain last year even though Rohit Sharma continues to play the 50-over format for India.
“I think the decision has been taken keeping the future in mind. Sometimes you do feel things have been done quickly. But I think he is ready for this job. This is a high-demand job; he is young. The sooner he learns the art of captaincy and team management, the better the results will be. That England Test series was one of the finest I have ever seen. Scoring so many runs and leading from the front shows that he has worked harder than anybody else. Whatever I know of Shubman, he is ready for big challenges,” he added.
Harbhajan lauded India’s “match-winning” spin trio of Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav selected for the T20 World Cup.
“Spin is nice for India. Kuldeep, Varun and Axar are all spinners and can win you the match in one spell. Players are still not able to decipher Varun. Kuldeep has that variation. This is a nice combination of spinners, hope they stay injury-free and serve India for a long time,” he said.
Harbhajan threw his weight behind struggling Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 218 runs in 19 innings last year at an abysmal average of 13.62 without a fifty.
“Suryakumar has not made many runs, but when the WC comes, we will need big players to fire. He will shine bright in that big match. Abhishek (Sharma) can win you matches on your own. The form Hardik (Pandya) is in, he is a key player. We also have Arshdeep (Singh) and (Jasprit) Bumrah in pace,” he concluded.
