When India’s 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was announced last month, there was a notable omission in it. Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma couldn't find a spot in the line-up despite being part of the last few assignments.
Nearly a month after his snub, Jitesh shared his first reaction, admitting that he was left heartbroken. He was unaware of the snub until the last minute, but agreed with the explanation offered by chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Agarkar said the decision wasn’t Jitesh’s fault, citing that the selectors had decided to go back to the pre-Asia Cup 2025 combination in the playing XI with Sanju Samson reinstated as the first-choice opener and wicketkeeper and thus, needed the reserve wicketkeeper to be a top-order batter. That led to Ishan Kishan earning a surprise call-up to the squad after leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title.
“It was heartbreaking, as I had worked very hard to play in the ICC T20 World Cup. But that’s destiny, I can’t deny it. At that moment, I was numb and couldn’t process anything," Jitesh told CricTracker.
“I wasn’t aware of my omission until the squad was announced. After that, I agreed with the explanation given by the selectors in the press conference; it was a valid reason. Later, I had discussions with the coaches and selectors, and I felt their reasoning was fair. I completely understood what they wanted to explain to me, and I agreed with it," he added.
Shubman Gill’s exclusion was also a major talking point after the squad announcement. Having failed to hit a half-century in 15 innings since his return to the T20I fold as deputy during the Asia Cup 2025, Gill was under severe scrutiny, especially with Samson warming the bench.
As it turned out, the 26-year-old was left out of the World Cup side and Axar Patel was named the vice-captain in his place.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026: 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
