NEW DELHI: Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar shared some important advice for batter Shubman Gill after he was left out of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. The decision came as a surprise to many fans, especially since Gill was also removed from the role of vice-captain.
With Gill out, Axar Patel has been named India’s vice-captain for the T20 World Cup 2026.Sunil Gavaskar believes that Gill should accept this setback with maturity. Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “I hope Shubman takes this in the right spirit. I wish him the best. Some of his injuries have been strange.” Gavaskar felt that Gill still has a bright future, and this decision does not mean the end of his chances.Gavaskar also feels that chief selector Ajit Agarkar would have personally spoken to Gill to explain the reason behind the call. He said, “Knowing Ajit Agarkar, I’m pretty sure he’ll be on the phone to Shubman, trying to explain to him why they took the call that they did.”According to Gavaskar, the team management is trying to correct its earlier decisions. When Gill returned to the T20 squad, Sanju Samson was pushed down the batting order. Earlier, Samson and Abhishek Sharma had formed a strong opening pair, using a left-right combination and attacking from the very first ball.Gavaskar explained this by saying, “And I think it’s a course correction. In the sense that when Shubman came into the T20 squad, Sanju Samson went down the order. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had formed a very good opening pair – a left-hand, right-hand combination – looking to hit the first ball of the game for a six and getting India off to fabulous starts.”“I think that is something Ajit will definitely speak to Shubman about, assuring him that he’s always going to be in the discussion. But for this particular tournament, considering the fact that he’s had some injuries and hasn’t been in the best of touch, they’ve left him out. That doesn’t mean he won’t be part of future teams,” Gavaskar said.Shubman Gill has not been in great form in T20 cricket recently. Since returning to the T20I side during the Asia Cup 2025, he has played 15 matches but failed to score even one half-century. Injuries have also affected his rhythm and consistency. Because of these reasons, the selectors decided to drop him from the squad for the upcoming World Cup.
