- By Namrata Vijay
- Tue, 30 Dec 2025 12:24 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
T20 World Cup 2026 Squad: Harbhajan Singh has finally reacted to Shubman Gill getting dropped from India's 2026 T20 World Cup team and also urged the critics not to write him off as he is one of the gifted players. Gill, who is still India's Test and ODI skipper, was dropped from the India T20 World Cup squad and also from the T20I series against New Zealand, and this decision led to a debate owing to his leadership skills.
Talking about the criticism of him getting dropped, Harbhajan asked for more patience and that Gill's exclusion was more of the analysis of the tournament and team balance instead of his form.
“It is not a signal for Gill. He was not taking his place for granted, but the competition is so tough that there are many players who can take that slot and perform well for the team. This is not the end of the road for him,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying to PTI.
Also Read: WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants Name THIS Australian All-Rounder As Their Captain For Upcoming Season
“He is a great player with beautiful technique. I believe he will make a brilliant comeback, and we should not forget that he is still the Test captain, he added.
He also emphasised that this was a tactical decision and wasn't solely about his form.
“I was listening to Ajit Agarkar and Captain Suryakumar. They were saying that Gill was excluded because of the combination. They must have taken the call depending on the conditions and the combination,” he said.
Gill getting snubbed from the T20 happened at a time when the team management wanted aggressive, flexible batters at the top, where all the all-rounders and explosive batters follow the modern demands of this format. His slow approach, which was once seen as an asset, has been slammed in T20Is.
GILL BACK TO THE GRIND
After getting dropped from the team, Gill didn't waste much time sulking. He was seen sweating it out in a training session at the Punjab Cricket Association, where he was working on his rhythm.
As he has now been dropped from the T20Is, he will now play a huge role in ODIs and will be a part of the three-match series against New Zealand next month. He will next be seen in action representing Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
He will play for Punjab in the first week of next month and then join the national team for the series against New Zealand.
But questions around his future in T20s will remain. Aakash Chopra too dropped him from the alternative 15-man team of players who didn't make it to the squad, and that showed that he was more of an accumulator than a disruptor, as was seen in the T20I series against South Africa.
But Harbhajan still backed Gill and said, “Gill is a class player. There is no doubt about it. He will make a great comeback.”
Presently, he might be dropped from India's T20I team, but people like Harbhajan remind everyone that the careers of special players aren't defined by a single omission.