Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar has come forward and revealed the real reason behind Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill’s omission from the ICC T20 World Cup, and it is not his poor form.
The Indian national men’s selection committee, headed by former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, has announced India’s final squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as well as the upcoming series against New Zealand.
There have been some surprise inclusions in the team selection, and on the other hand, some players who were definitely in contention for a T20I spot have been left out of the 15-man ICC T20 World Cup squad. However, the BCCI selection committee is allowed to make changes before the start of the World Cup.
Ajit Agarkar told about ignoring Shubman Gill from the Indian team
Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill was brought back into the T20I squad and was also made the vice-captain ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. However, despite his comeback, Gill failed to impress the Indian fans as well as the selectors with his performance in 15 matches.
However, when the Ajit Agarkar-led committee, which had earlier accepted that Shubman would be cited as India’s captain across formats, left him out of the T20 World Cup squad for the second consecutive time, Indian fans were left shocked.
However, Ajit Agarkar pointed out that his selection was not stopped because of his poor form but only because Shubman was not able to fit into the Indian team combination. The idea might have come after Sanju Samson performed well when he was promoted back to the top order.
,“Shubman has not been included for the combination more than anything else,” RevSportz quoted Ajit Agarkar as saying.
Shubman not included for combination more than anything else: Agarkar
– RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) 20 December 2025
Ishan Kishan benefits from SMAT success
Jharkhand’s left-handed wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan is finally back in the Indian team. The wicketkeeper batsman replaces Jitesh Sharma in the Indian team and will act as a backup option for Sanju Samson.
Sanju Samson will once again return as the frontline wicketkeeper and opener of the Indian T20 team. Captain Suryakumar Yadav also revealed that he has not named any player on standby, as the World Cup is in India itself, and if any injury occurs, all the players will be ready to be brought in at any time.
Ishan Kishan has been named for his stellar performance for Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Just a week before the team announcement, he tipped his state team to the domestic T20 title in 2025.
Rinku Singh returns to Indian team for first World Cup campaign
Uttar Pradesh’s star batsman Rinku Singh was denied his place in the Indian team, as head coach Gautam Gambhir felt there was no room for finishers in the lower order if they could not be useful with the ball as well.
However, now Rinku is back, and has replaced the out-of-form Shubman Gill in the Indian team.
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