- By Gurmeet Batra
- Sun, 04 Jan 2026 05:45 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Shubman Gill's India's T20 World Cup Squad: OmissionFormer Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed surprise at Shubman Gill's exclusion from India's T20 World Cup 2026 plans, admitting he was "taken aback" by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee's decision.
Speaking on the ICC Review, Ponting pointed out that the omission wasn't solely a consideration of Gill's form, but rather a testament to the wealth of talent India have in youngsters.
“I couldn’t believe that. I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket, but the last time I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK, where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anybody bat," Ponting said on ICC Review.
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Ponting noted the decision underscored the intense competition for selection in Indian cricket.
“If someone as good as Shubman Gill doesn’t get picked in a World Cup squad, it shows how many quality players they have," Ponting added.
Gill's Asia Cup return sparked a 15-innings T20I stint, yielding 291 runs at 24.25 with a strike-rate of 137.26.
While announcing the squad, the selectors prioritised balance in the team, and Gill's current T20I stats haven't supported his cause. After announcing the T20 World Cup and New Zealand T20I squads, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar explained the decision, setting the record straight with a team balance remark over individual statistics.
“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," Agarkar had said during the press conference.
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This is more about team balance than individual ability,” he said.
India T20 World Cup Squad 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.