"He Might Still Be In Contention": Michael Clarke On Shubman Gill's T20 Axe
Shubman Gill was axed from India's T20 World Cup squad despite being the team's vice-captain.
One of the most sought-after batters in Indian cricket, Shubman Gill, was surprisingly dropped from the T20 squad as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the World Cup, starting February 07. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picked the likes of Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh in the team, leaving out Gill, a decision that continues to be debated among fans and experts. However, Gill has now been backed by former Australia captain Michael Clarke to not just return to the team but also take the captain's role.
"He might still be (in contention). I don't think that changes too much. I think the squads needed to be announced by a certain time, and he wasn't batting as well as he would like. India's got so many opening batting options; he's not the captain of the team at this stage, so I think they pretty much made the decision. They wanted these couple of warm-up games to be a real focus on what they are doing in the World Cup. There were questions about his form. They made that decision specifically in the lead-up to the World Cup," Clarke said in the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
Gill was named India's T20I vice-captain when he returned to the T20 side last year, replacing Axar Patel. But, the selection committee took a U-turn and reappointed Axar as the team's vice-captain in the shortest format for the T20 World Cup.
As the T20 World Cup ends, however, Clarke feels Gill could end up leading Suryakumar as India's captain in the shortest format.
"I think after the World Cup, don't be surprised if he not only comes back into the team, but he also takes over the captaincy. He's an unbelievable player; just not playing his best cricket at the moment. I don't think there are too many concerns moving forward with Shubman Gill. India has made it clear we are 100 per cent focused on this World Cup, and we want to win it," he said.
India Cricket Team
Michael Clarke