Men’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has been accused of overruling the BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar to push the case for dropping Shubman Gill from India’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad.
According to a report by news agency PTI, Gill’s omission was effectively decided midweek, when the fourth T20I between India and South Africa in Lucknow was abandoned due to smog, and not on the official announcement day. The report cited BCCI sources to claim that Gill was neither informed by the selectors nor by captain Suryakumar Yadav or Gambhir until the morning of the announcement.
The report suggested the team management had already moved on from Gill, using a minor toe injury later as a convenient exit route, despite Gill being willing to play the fifth
match in Ahmedabad. The report said the injury was feared to be a hairline fracture initially, but was later confirmed to be only a minor bruise.
“Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right foot while batting in the nets on 16th December in Lucknow. After consulting a specialist and getting treatment with the BCCI medical team, he is improving but will be unavailable for selection for the final T20I in Ahmedabad,” a BCCI statement said before the match.
Gill was replaced by Sanju Samson, who has now been made the first-choice opener for the World Cup.
The report said Gill’s poor returns against South Africa (32 runs in three games) contributed to the decision, but a former selector believes the timing points to a ‘course correction’ by Ajit Agarkar’s panel, with strong influence from Gambhir, who is known for prioritising results over continuity.
“If making him vice-captain for the Asia Cup riding on his England Test heroics was a wrong move as Sanju (Samson) had done nothing wrong, the move to drop him just five games before the start of the T20 World Cup indicates that it is more of a course correction done by Agarkar’s panel. And the decision has more footprints of the head coach, who’s actually not known for maintaining continuity,” the quoted former national selector said.
Suryakumar’s form has been equally poor since Gill’s promotion to the top of the order. However, captains often get the extra backing in such situations, while the Mumbaikar also has the benefit of spending most of the past couple of years as the best T20I batter in the world.
However, the report said this decision could create mistrust in the dressing room and strain Gill’s relationship with Gambhir, adding that if Suryakumar’s form doesn’t improve, his authority may also come under threat.
