BCCI 'Concerned' About Shubman Gill Ahead Of T20 World Cup 2026. Report Makes Big Claim

Indian cricket team star batter Shubman Gill's form has emerged as a major concern for the BCCI selectors ahead of the squad announcement for the T20 World Cup 2026, according to a report by The Indian Express. While it is unlikely that Gill will be dropped from the 15-member squad, his lack of form in recent matches has become a major point of discussion, and questions have been raised over whether he will continue as vice-captain. The decision to use Gill as an opener has resulted in Sanju Samson moving down the order and struggling to make an impact.

Since September, Gill has played in the Asia Cup as well as the series against Australia, with his highest score being just 47. The dip in form has also raised questions about whether the selectors might consider Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opening batter for the side.

According to the report, the selectors are also wary of the fact that Gill is a slow starter, which means Abhishek Sharma has to play big shots from the very beginning. In that case, the inclusion of a player like Jaiswal or even the in-form Ishan Kishan could ease the pressure on the youngster.

The BCCI will be at liberty to replace any of the named 15 until the start of the T20 World Cup on February 7. For the record, during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Varun Chakravarthy replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal after slow tracks in Dubai were taken into consideration.

While nobody in the BCCI is spelling it out, the global event in India could well be the last for Suryakumar as the national T20 skipper. He is already 35 and has been out of form for the past year.

Having endured a barren run for almost 14 months and across 24 games, Suryakumar is holding on to his place only because he is the captain.

The committee will also pick the T20 squad for New Zealand, which will be the same as the one chosen for the T20 World Cup.

For the time being, there aren't any slots up for grabs, although Gill's position has repeatedly come under the scanner while an in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal waits in the wings.

It remains to be seen if the selectors name Jaiswal as an extra player for the New Zealand series just to observe him in case he is needed during the mega event to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

The reserve opener's slot currently belongs to Sanju Samson, who was wrongfully displaced from his position when the selection committee and an important member of the team think tank decided to fix something that wasn't broken.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Shubman Gill Suryakumar Yadav Yashasvi Jaiswal Ishan Kishan India Cricket Team Cricket