BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Shubman Gill was snubbed from India's squad for the T20 World Cup because the thought process was to have two wicketkeeping-batters who could bat at the top. While Sanju Samson was picked along expected lines, Ishan Kishan joined him in the squad as the second wicketkeeper after smashing a belligerent century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Haryana.
Shubman had been appointed India's vice-captain ahead of the T20 Asia Cup in September. However,
he failed to impress in the 15 T20Is he played since then. The Punjab batter scored just 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26.
"There’s no doubt about Shubman’s quality. He may not have scored as many runs recently, but that doesn’t change how highly we rate him. He was also unlucky to miss out in the last World Cup when we opted for a different combination. Once again, this is more about team balance—specifically the idea of having two wicketkeepers at the top—than about individual ability," Agarkar informed the media in a press conference after the 15-man squad was announced.
Agarkar also explained why Jitesh Sharma, who had fared decently in the limited opportunities given to him, was dropped from the side in favour of Kishan.
"Combinations are central to everything right now. If your wicketkeeper is batting at the top, you need cover. That’s why we felt it was important to have another keeper in the squad. At the moment, Jitesh has been there and hasn’t really done anything wrong," he added.
Agarkar also mentioned the rationale behind naming Axar Patel vice-captain of the side in Shubman's absence. He said that the selectors wanted to maintain continuity as Axar had served as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy when Shubman was focusing on Tests and ODIs before making a comeback to the shortest format during the Asia Cup.
"Continuity played a big role. Shubman was the vice-captain, but since he’s not in the squad, someone else had to take that role. In the past, when Shubman wasn’t playing T20s due to Test commitments, Axar served as vice-captain. So this decision is about maintaining continuity rather than making a fresh statement," Agarkar said.
