Watch: Gautam Gambhir Refuses To Answer 'Shubman Gill Question', Ignores Media

India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 was announced on Saturday by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The announcement brought a big surprise as young batter Shubman Gill, who was India's vice-captain in the shortest format, was snubbed from the team. Gill failed to leave an impact with the bat in the recently concluded T20Is against South Africa, where he scored only 32 runs in three matches. Apart from Gill's exclusion, the comeback of wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan in the Indian squad made headlines.

Few hours after the announcement, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was spotted at the Delhi airport where he was mobbed by the media. He was hounded by several questions regarding the team and the exclusion of Gill but Gambhir dodged them all.

In a video going viral on social media, Gambhir was seen exiting the airport and quickly going past the mediapersons and getting into his car.

#WATCH | Indian Men's Cricket Team Head Coach Gautam Gambhir arrives in Delhi

BCCI today announced India's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. pic.twitter.com/RbqVtaixyR

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2025

Despite being one of India's most consistent batters across Tests and ODIs, Gill has struggled to nail down a fixed role in T20Is, particularly as an opener, where India are now prioritising high-impact starts over accumulation.

His strike-rate concerns in powerplays and the emergence of more explosive options appear to have weighed against him. He only scored 4, 0 and 28 in three games against South Africa.

"Shubman Gill is short of runs at the moment and missed last WC too," chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said at the press conference.

In contrast, Ishan's return reflects the selectors' renewed emphasis on left-right combinations and aggressive wicket-keeping-batters at the top.

Kishan, who has been out of favour for much of the year following fitness and availability issues, has impressed in recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, leading Jharkhand to the title with a splendid hundred.

"It's not about Gill's form. We wanted to have a keeper at the top," skipper Suryakumar said on Gill's omission.

(With PTI Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Shubman Gill Gautam Gambhir T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket