Ricky Ponting, Shubman Gill deprived of T20 World Cup: Australian great Ricky Ponting has thrown his weight behind Shubman Gill after the Indian Test and ODI captain was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad. Gill will miss the second consecutive ICC T20 World Cup for India and Ponting has cited the depth of the Indian team for this failure.
BCCI surprised everyone with its decision to drop Shubman Gill from the ICC T20 World Cup squad. Shubman was not a part of India’s T20 squad since the 2024 T20 World Cup, but later made a comeback in 2025 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar.
Gill not only made a comeback but was also made the vice-captain of the Indian T20I team and was at some point considered to replace Suryakumar Yadav. However, after around 15 matches in 2025, Gill was eventually dropped from the T20I squad just ahead of the marquee tournament.
Shubman Gill out of T20 World Cup: Ricky Ponting shocked by insult
One of the biggest names in world cricket who was surprised by Shubman Gill’s omission from the India team was former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. However, he also admits that the last time he saw Gill bat in his full flow was on the England tour.
However, after returning to T20, Gill could not perform well and continued to disappoint despite several opportunities at the top of the order. His form was very inconsistent and he performed at a below average strike rate, which could have resulted in his dismissal.
Ponting said in the ICC review, “I can’t believe it. I mean, I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket. The last time I saw him really play was the Test series against England in the UK, where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anyone bat before.”
Ricky Ponting praised the depth of Indian cricket, citing Shubman’s neglect.
While Ponting felt that Gill’s omission took him by surprise, he was also pleased with the depth of Indian cricket, where they could force a batsman of Gill’s caliber to wait for a place in the World Cup squad.
Gill’s return to the T20I setup not only brought down India’s numbers in the tournament, but also overshadowed Sanju Samson’s stellar performance in the T20s. Before Gill’s arrival, Sanju was at the top along with Abhishek Sharma. Samson was kept out for a long time after scoring three centuries in T20Is in 2024, which seemed unfair to the Indian gloveman.
“I think, one, I’m surprised, but two, it just shows the depth of Indian cricket. “If you can imagine that a good player like Shubman Gill is not selected in the World Cup squad, it shows how many good players they have,” he told the above source.
He further said that Indians are known for their wide talent pool, which he must have seen while coaching teams like Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in the IPL. This talent pool is something that makes them one of the favorites in every ICC tournament in which they play.
Will Shubman Gill remain in the race for T20I captaincy even after the World Cup defeat?
At one time Shubman Gill was considered to be the next Indian all-format captain. He is already the captain in Test and ODI and was set to take over the T20I captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav after the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Therefore Gill was also named the vice-captain of the T20I team. However, after being left out of the T20 World Cup squad, does Shubman Gill still have a chance to captain all formats for India even though he does not have a regular place in the national team in the shortest format of the game?
Instead, Axar Patel has been named the vice-captain of the team for the upcoming T20 World Cup. According to reports, Suryakumar Yadav has been removed from the captaincy after the World Cup final, if not Shubman, then who has the chance to become India’s next T20I captain?
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