“It’s almost like choosing Srikkanth over Gavaskar for T20s” - Former India opener’s huge remark on Shubman Gill ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Former India cricketer WV Raman opined that Shubman Gill's exclusion was down to the team management's desire for a more modern-day T20-oriented player. The selectors made a massive call by dropping the vice-captain for the 2026 T20 World Cup, after his unconvincing numbers in the format since his return in the 2025 Asia Cup.

Shubman Gill was given a long rope to rest his case as the T20I opener after his heroics in the longer formats. However, across the Asia Cup, and the bilateral affairs against Australia and South Africa, the star batter failed to impress, recording only 291 runs in 15 innings at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26.

The team management are likely to proceed with the successful opening pairing of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, given their explosiveness and chemistry. Meanwhile, the team have brought in the in-form Ishan Kishan as the backup opener, with the desire of having a wicket-keeper at the top of the order.

WV Raman stated that while there is no doubt regarding Gill's ability, it is more about how comfortable a player is with a particular format.

“Gill hasn't been dropped for any significant fault of his. Just that the players around him are more explosive than him, a quality that is essential in modern-day T20 cricket. In an imaginary scenario, it is almost like choosing K Srikkanth over Sunil Gavaskar for the T20 format, knowing full well who the better batter in the format actually could be. That's why I was wondering why it was necessary to make him the T20 vice-captain at that stage, when so many others fit the T20 bill so well,” WV Raman told the Times of India.

After his omission from the national T20I squad, Shubman Gill is likely to partake in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy ahead of the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand in January 2026. He was recently named in the Punjab squad along with other high-profile names like Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma.

"Gill should not think for a second that he has become a lesser player" - WV Raman on how the star player should deal with rejection

In the blink of an eye, Shubman Gill finds himself from being a potential starter in a World Cup to an outcast. The team management's desire for an all-format captain has taken a massive hit as they come to terms with the last-minute switches in the Indian side.

However, WV Raman urges the ace batter to keep his chin up and remind himself that he is still one of the best batters going around.

“If I was his coach, I would have told him that there is no place for emotion in a player's life. It is a decision that has been taken with the team composition in mind and Gill should not think for a second that he has become a lesser player,” WV Raman said.

The opening batter recently sustained a foot injury ahead of the fourth T20I against South Africa at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

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Edited by Gokul Nair