Shubman Gill
Perhaps the biggest surprise from India’s squad announcement was the exclusion of Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill.
Gill, who was also vice-captain of the T20I side, had been the side’s designated opener along with Abhishek Sharma since the beginning of the Asia Cup 2025. However, his form since returning in place of Sanju Samson has been poor. The batter scored 291 runs from 15 innings at an average of 24.25, leading to questions over his place in the side.
However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Gill’s exclusion came primarily down to the desire to have an opening batter who can keep wickets as well. Such a combination allows the team to play either an all-rounder or specialist batter in the lower order depending on the situation. This opened the door for Samson’s return as an opener, with Ishan Kishan called up as a backup after his superlative showing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025.
Another victim of India’s desire to play a top-order batter who can keep wickets is Jitesh Sharma. Despite featuring in every game since the Asia Cup, the 32-year-old finds himself out of the squad, with Ishan Kishan taking his place in the squad. His exclusion has less to do with a lack of performance since coming into the side and more to do with the fact that his specialised skillset is incongruous with the team management’s desire for flexibility.
The Indian team management has preferred the all-round capabilities of Washington Sundar and the adaptability of Rinku Singh to Jitesh’s finishing abilities.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s undoubtable talent and formidable record in the IPL have made it unfortunate that he has not had more chances in the shortest format than he has had already. Jaiswal is a specialist opener who does not bat in any other position except at the top of the order, but the emergence of Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order has resulted in Jaiswal spending most of his time in the T20I squad as a spare opener.
With that in mind, Jaiswal was always a long shot for the T20 World Cup squad, and given India’s desire to play a wicketkeeper at the top of the order, barring a last-minute unfortunate injury to Abhishek Sharma, it seems unlikely that Jaiswal will find a route into the side anytime soon.
Comments are closed.