3 reasons why India dropping Shubman Gill for T20 World Cup 2026 is the right move

Team India star batter Shubman Gill is not a part of the squad for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. While it seemed the selectors and the team management are in for the long haul with the former vice-captain, they dropped a bombshell by excluding him from the 15-man squad.

Shubman Gill had recently sustained a foot injury ahead of the fourth T20I against South Africa in Lucknow and went on to miss the series finale in Ahmedabad. The opening batter got a lengthy run at the top of the order from the 2025 Asia Cup, but failed to make an impact, and now finds himself out of the squad altogether.

Team India squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, Harshit Rana

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why India dropping Shubman Gill for the T20 World Cup 2026 is the right move.

#1 Allows India to open with a wicket-keeper and reserve a slot for a specialist finisher or an all-rounder

A point that was repeatedly stressed by both Suryakumar Yadav and Ajit Agarkar while announcing the World Cup squad was the intention of including a wicket-keeper at the top of the order. In the past, with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma claiming the opening spots, Team India have had to slot in their wicket-keeper in the middle order, resulting in a specialist or an all-rounder to sit out on the bench.

But with Gill not a part of the equation anymore, and India having two wicket-keeping options that can play at the top, they have a middle-order slot free to tilt the balance of the side in whichever way they want. Rinku Singh can come in as a specialist finisher in the No.7 slot to bolster the batting, or an additional bowler or all-rounder can be played to give the bowling more depth.

Team India did not have such a luxury to mould their playing XI with such freedom when Gill featured, and with the opener now dropped, there is much more room to find the right kind of balance and depth.

#2 Team India cannot head into a World Cup with an out-of-form opener and captain

Having an in-form opening combination does wonders for a side, especially in such a high-profile tournament like the T20 World Cup. With Suryakumar Yadav already not in the best of touches, India cannot have an opener as well that is out of form, as it will put a lot of undue pressure on the middle-order on a recurring basis, which is never a sustainable model.

With Gill only scoring 291 runs in 15 matches in 2025 at an average of 24.25, in a way, India had no choice but to drop Gill, as going into a World Cup with a player who has looked unsure with each passing game would have backfired.

The team also did not have the luxury to gamble with the star opener for the New Zealand series, hoping for the runs to come. Because it should be the same opening combination that should be on the team sheet for both those assignments for the sake of continuity and stability.

#3 Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have shown far more chemistry, coordination, and impact

While it is the duo of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma that hail from the same state, speak the same native language, and have exceptional camaraderie off the field, they never showed any signs of clicking as an opening combination, which is largely due to Gill's struggling form.

However, the dynamic is entirely different when it comes to Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who complement each other almost perfectly, and the numbers suggest the same as well.

So far, the ideology behind having Gill in the T20I setup was to have stability in a batting unit rife with explosive players. As much as there might be need for an anchor in the playing XI, especially for a big tournament, it cannot come at the cost of the powerplay. At this point in time, it is Sharma and Samson who are the two best candidates to get the most out of the power play with their raw aggression and ability to take calculated risks.

Dropping Gill does not necessarily mean that India are not left with any anchors at all, Tilak Varma is perfectly capable of playing across all gears, which includes holding one end, as he has shown several times already.

Given that Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma offer India the best chance to field the best opening combination and the most balanced playing XI, it had to be Shubman Gill who had to miss out, as his presence was derailing the side on both those fronts.

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Edited by Gokul Nair