"It Is A Surprise": Sunil Gavaskar Reacts To India Star's Snub For T20 World Cup

Shubman Gill was removed from vice-captaincy and left out of India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad, leading to major shock in the cricket fraternity on Saturday. Following the bold decision taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expressed his surprise. Gavaskar stated that "class is permanent" although Gill's form has not been the best recently. The former India captain suggested that Gill had lost his rhythm in T20 cricket due to his lengthy absence from the shortest format before his comeback.

"It is a surprise. He (Gill) is a classic, quality batter who had a fabulous season post the 2024 T20 World Cup. Yes, he struggled in a few matches against South Africa. But class is permanent, and form is temporary," said Gavaskar on Gill's omission, speaking on Star Sports.

"He was also coming back after a long break and was out of rhythm. When you are not in rhythm in T20 cricket, where you have to attack from the start, it is hard. His natural game is more for Test cricket, playing along the ground. The shots needed in T20 do not come as easily to him," Gavaskar added.

Before the Asia Cup 2025, Gill had been out of India's T20I squad for nearly a year, instead being a key player of the Test and ODI sides.

In that period, Sanju Samson had impressed as an opener, even slamming two T20I hundreds in late 2024.

Having been appointed captain in Tests and ODIs, Gill's reintroduction into the T20I squad as vice-captain pointed to a similar trajectory in the shortest format. However, his poor form has seemingly forced the BCCI to reshuffle ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil.

"He is a very good player. We have seen that in the IPL, so T20 is not new to him. Maybe just that lack of form and touch went against him," Gavaskar further said.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sunil Gavaskar India Cricket Team Shubman Gill T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket