India T20 World Cup Squad: India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad announcement sent shockwaves through the cricketing world with star opener Shubman Gill's omission from the 15-member team.
However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified that the decision was made with team balance considerations in mind, rather than Gill's form or ability.
“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 said during the squad announcement in a press conference.
All-rounder Axar Patel was appointed vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of in-form Ishan Kishan, who edged out Jitesh Sharma as the second wicketkeeper behind Sanju Samson.
Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar admitted that Gill has been dropped from the squad for lack of runs.
"Obviously he (Gill) has been short of runs and since he wasn't picked, we needed a vice-captain," Agarkar said at the press conference.
India’s Squad For 2026 T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan.