Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill's Poor Form Can Lead To All-Rounder Missing T20 World Cup 2026: Report

Indian cricket team all-rounder Washington Sundar could miss out on T20 World Cup 2026 selection due to the poor form of Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill, according to a report by The Indian Express. The report claimed that selectors are torn between Washington and Rinku Singh, with most spots in the 15-member squad already decided. Washington was included for the series against South Africa because of his all-round capabilities, but that may not be the case for the T20 World Cup. According to the report, Rinku could find a place in the squad to provide cover in case Suryakumar or Gill fail to score runs. In that scenario, India would go with three spinners and an extra batter for the tournament.

However, considering head coach Gautam Gambhir's preference for players who can fulfil multiple roles, Washington might still make the squad ahead of Rinku. Rinku's inclusion could also be affected if selectors believe Jitesh Sharma and Hardik Pandya are good enough for the finisher's role.

Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a major concern, but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup on Saturday.

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 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 now, 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 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.

(With PTI inputs)