The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) selectors decided to snub Shubman Gill when they named India's 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World
Cup. Shubman had his fair share of chances this year in the shortest format, but could not do justice to his potential. In 15 T20Is, the talented Punjab batter scored just 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26 since returning to the format during the Asia Cup in September.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, without taking any names, seemingly took a subtle dig at Shubman, while highlighting that individual milestones shouldn't be given too much importance and strike rates should actually be given more priority in the T20 format.
"He hasn’t got a single 50 in 20 innings. A stat often cited to suggest loss of form. T20s is & will always be about strike rates. The last thing you want is an out-of-form batter playing cautiously when he comes close to 50. This will lose you the game," Manjrekar wrote on 'X' (formerly Twitter).
Gill omission is basically selectors rectifying a mistake: Manjrekar
Manjrekar believes that the selectors rectified their mistake by dropping Shubman from the side. The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee got carried away after Shubman finished as the highest run-getter in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy earlier this year.
"When you pick someone excitedly on Test performance for T20s, this is what happens. Gill omission is basically selectors rectifying a mistake they made when they got a bit carried away after the England tour," said Manjrekar (via his X handle).
Shubman was replaced by Ishan Kishan, who hasn't played for India since December 2023 but was in tremendous form while playing for Jharkhand during the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Meanwhile, the former will be representing Punjab in the impending Vijay Hazare Trophy after missing out on selection for the T20 World Cup.
