BCCI forced Shubman Gill out of Ahmedabad T20I; neither Gambhir nor Suryakumar told him he was getting dropped: Report
Shubman Gill's omission from India's T20 World Cup squad raises concerns over communication and selection transparency.
India’s T20 World Cup 2026 picked up an awkward undercurrent on Saturday when Shubman Gill’s omission triggered questions not just about selection but about how the decision was conveyed to the cricketer.
The BCCI continued with their regular T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, as the leader for the upcoming marquee tournament, with Axar Patel appointed as his deputy. There was also another aspect to the selection, with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan returning as the second keeper alongside Sanju Samson.
What sharpens the chatter around Shubman Gill isn’t only the cut itself. A report by PTI said, "Shubman Gill's fate wasn't actually sealed on Saturday when BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced the squad for the T20 World Cup but when the fourth T20 International was called off on Wednesday due to thick smog.
That was the day it was decided that Gill won't be picked for the T20 World Cup but till Saturday morning, India's two-format captain was neither intimated by the chairman of selectors nor did captain Suryakumar Yadav or head coach Gautam Gambhir informed him, according to a BCCI source.
While the skipper, whose record for the past one year has been very poor, has got a reprieve, it's natural that Gill may start feeling let down and slightly disrespected in the manner in which he was ruthlessly disposed. The moment news spread that Gill has injured his toe while batting, one knew that something was amiss and that the team management, headlined by Gambhir and Suryakumar, has moved on as far as Gill's place was concerned. If BCCI sources are to be believed the team management had already decided to chuck the vice-captain out when in fact he wanted to play the Ahmedabad game as the injury wasn't that serious.
That was the first sign of creating an exit route for the under-performing Indian vice-captain, who had scored a total of 32 runs in the three games against South Africa."
The timeline is what makes it feel jarring. Earlier this month, Gill had been named vice-captain for India’s home T20I series against South Africa. Less than three weeks later, his name is missing from the World Cup core, and the vice-captain tag has shifted to Axar Patel for the tournament.
Selection calls can be ruthless; elite sports isn’t designed to be polite. But communication is the one part teams can control, and if a player of Gill’s stature is learning about a major exclusion late in the day, the optics are messy. In a format where roles are rehearsed months in advance, clarity is currency. And when clarity arrives last, the dressing room rarely stays noise-free for long.