Shubman Gill axed from India’s T20 World Cup squad over form slump

India's national cricket selection committee today (20 December) omitted out-of-form Vice-Captain Shubman Gill from the 15-member Indian squad picked for the T20 World Cup to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March next year.

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai, where the committee met for selecting the team, that Test and ODI captain Gill has been dropped from the squad due to a prolonged form slump.

Gill, 26, has scored only 291 runs in his last 15 matches in the game's shortest format at an average of 24.25.

However, batter Suryakumar Yadav was retained as T20I captain despite similar concerns over his form. A T20 specialist, Yadav has managed just 244 runs across his last 22 innings in the format, without a single fifty.

Gill was brought into India's T20I side after an impressive Test series in England last summer. However, he has given quite average returns and is yet to score a half-century in 15 innings.

All-rounder Axar Patel was named the vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of an in-form Ishan Kishan who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second wicket keeper behind Sanju Samson.

Rinku Singh, who was part of India's Asia Cup-winning squad in September, was also brought back to the team.

Yadav said, "The team selection looks balanced. It's good responsibility and challenge to play in front of a home crowd."

The India squad for T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Axar Patel (vice capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma.

The same team will also play five home T20Is against New Zealand from 21 January, the last round of international matches before the 10th edition of the World Cup, which will feature 20 nations.

India are the defending champions, having beaten South Africa in a thrilling 2024 final in Barbados.