India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to comment on Shubman Gill’s exclusion from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad. While Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar gave different theories, Gautam Gambhir chose to remain silent.
On December 20, the BCCI announced the 15-member squad for both the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and the five-match T20I series, with the biggest surprise being the exclusion of Shubman Gill. Once seen as a long-term leader in India’s white-ball team and appointed vice-captain upon his return, the 26-year-old has now been dropped from India’s T20 squad altogether.
Gautam Gambhir remains silent amid growing questions on Shubman Gill’s neglect.
However, a string of poor performances with the bat went against the Punjab player. The decision allowed the selectors to reinstate Sanju Samson as India’s opening batsman, as India aim to balance experience, form and impact roles at the top of the order.
Also read: Suryakumar Yadav retains ‘captaincy quota’ for T20 World Cup 2026; BCCI issued strict warning
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir has come into the limelight after the shocking decision of the selectors. The Indian head coach remained completely silent when he faced a contingent of journalists at the Delhi airport, just hours after the BCCI announced the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
The media wanted his reaction on the team, especially about Gill’s shocking omission, but Gambhir did not say a single word at the Delhi airport. The head coach ignored all the questions and walked straight towards his car and drove away without saying anything.
#Watch Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir reached Delhi
BCCI today announced India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. pic.twitter.com/RbqVTaxyR
– ANI (@ANI) 20 December 2025
Gambhir’s kind reaction has only intensified the speculations, as he was not even part of the press conference at the BCCI headquarters where secretary Devjit Saikia made the announcement, and was also attended by Suryakumar and Agarkar on Saturday.
The report claims that Gautam Gambhir is behind the exclusion of Shubman Gill from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
At the same time, if reports are to be believed, Gautam Gambhir has played an important role in ousting Gill. A former Indian selector has suggested that Gambhir had a strong influence on the decision to drop Gill from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
“If making him (Gill) the vice-captain for the Asia Cup on the basis of his England Test heroics was the wrong move because Sanju (Samson) had done nothing wrong, then the move to drop him just five games before the start of the T20 World Cup shows that it is an improvement by Agarkar’s panel. The decision bears more the footprints of the head coach, who is not exactly known for maintaining consistency,” PTI quoted the former selector as saying. Let’s go.”
Also read: 3 Indian players selected for Pakistan and Australia in ICC T20 World Cup 2026 – not for Minnows
Shubman Gill’s T20I struggle
Notably, Gill made his return to the T20I squad during the Asia Cup 2026, where he replaced Sanju Samson as the opening batsman. However, things did not go as planned for them as Gill struggled to find rhythm and consistency. He could score only 291 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 137.26. He failed to score a single half-century, his highest score being 47.
Recently, he was ruled out of the fifth and final T20I against South Africa due to a toe injury and Samson came back on top and scored a quickfire 37 runs in just 22 balls to help India win the series 3-1.
