"They have made a mistake and Indian cricket has gone behind" - Ex-RCB batter's stunning take on India's squad for 2026 T20 World Cup

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his take on India's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The defending champions announced their squad on Saturday, December 20. Shockingly, Shubman Gill was not only removed as vice-captain but also dropped from the T20I set-up.

Mohammad Kaif reckoned that the selectors had made a mistake by forcing Gill into the T20I squad and making him vice-captain. He felt that it pushed Indian cricket behind and that other players could have been given more opportunities.

"They knew there were better players, I am talking about the T20 format. Just this one. There were better players than Gill. So it was the mistake of the selectors. They have made a mistake and Indian cricket has gone behind. For two to three months, you could have invested in Jaiswal, Samson, and Jitesh," he said on his YouTube channel.

Axar Patel was named vice-captain once again with Gill's exit. Kaif reflected that it was also a lost opportunity for Axar to develop himself better as a leader, given that he was the vice-captain before Gill returned and took the position. He added that Axar would have been better prepared heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup.

"It is a loss for Axar Patel who returns as vice-captain and for the Indian team as well. The squad is still solid and there is no doubt. But if Axar had continued as vice-captain, he would have been a part of this team meeting, and he would have gotten time to work on his leadership. Let's assume Surya gets injured, then if Axar had had those two to three months as vice-captain, he would know more about his team and the players. If he has to captain, he would have been better prepared, so that opportunity was taken away from him," he stated.

Further, Kaif also blasted the management and felt that they had no proper planning. He called them out for backing Gill in T20Is when they knew better players were waiting for an opportunity. With the pressure building, he reckoned that they were left with no choice but to drop Gill close to the World Cup, which is slated to begin in February 2026. However, he believed that dropping Gill was the right call. Moreover, he also stated that it waste of time while preparing for the marquee event.

"You carried Gill till the very end and then dropped him. I feel it is the right call. It came late, but it was right. The planning is zero. There is no planning. It has been a waste of time in the name of planning. You backed that player who is not ready now. There were better players than him who should have played. It was your mistake as selectors. Now you had no other choice but to remove him. This has happened very rarely. There was no option left as he did not score in 17-18 innings, and how many more chances would you give him? The pressure was increasing. No one wanted to drop him, but I feel it has been a waste of time for Indian cricket and those players who should have gotten the opportunity."

Since his return during the Asia Cup 2025, Gill managed just 291 runs in 15 T20I innings at an average of 24.25 without a single fifty. In the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka as well, he made just 32 runs from three matches.

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Mohammad Kaif backs India's decision to drop Shubman Gill

While dropping Shubman Gill, who was the vice-captain, was a bold and tough decision, Kaif reckoned that it was the right call and came later than it should have.

Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal was not included in the squad, while Jitesh Sharma was dropped. Kaif added that dropping Jitesh was unfair. India included Ishan Kishan, who made a comeback, based on his current form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26. However, Kaif strongly believed that Jaiswal should have been preferred over Kishan.

"Removing Gill was a big call but it was the right call. It was for the betterment of Indian cricket. They delayed it a lot and there was no planning. But Jitesh and Jaiswal should have been in the squad. Jaiswal could have come in for Gill and Jitesh should have stayed. Ishan Kishan has done well in SMAT, but Jaiswal scored a hundred against South Africa under pressure. That showed his character," he said.

Ishan Kishan was the leading run-getter in the SMAT 2025-26. He made 517 runs from 10 games at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 197.32 with two hundreds and as many fifties.

On the other hand, Jaiswal played the three-match ODI series for India against South Africa. He scored a match-winning, unbeaten hundred in the final game as India won the series 2-1.

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Edited by Rishab Vm