Overview
- Yograj Singh questioned the decision to drop Shubman Gill after a handful of lean T20I innings and cited Kapil Dev’s past backing as a precedent for patience.
- Gill was left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad announced on December 20, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar attributing the call to team combination needs rather than a lack of quality.
- Ishan Kishan was recalled to the World Cup squad on the strength of his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy form, taking the wicketkeeper-batter slot in place of Gill.
- Since returning to T20Is, Gill has 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26 without a fifty, following a neck injury and a subsequent foot injury that sidelined him for one game.
- Despite the T20 omission, team management has retained Gill as ODI and Test leader, and he is set to captain India in a three-match ODI series against New Zealand beginning January 11.