Team India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 was announced on Saturday, featuring a surprising exclusion as Shubman Gill was dropped from the side. Axar Patel has taken his position as vice-captain, while Ishan Kishan makes a noteworthy return to the international setup.
Changes in the Squad
In addition to Gill’s absence, Jitesh Sharma has been replaced by Rinku Singh. With Gill out, Sanju Samson is expected to return to the top of the order after his impressive performance in the recent fifth T20I against South Africa.
Press Conference Insights
A joint press conference at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) headquarters included secretary Devajit Saikia, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
On Dropping Gill
Chief selector Agarkar commented on the decision to leave Gill out, stating, “We’re looking at continuity; we want a keeper batting at the top. We know what a quality player Shubman is, even though he’s not found runs recently. It’s the combination more than anything else. Some people are going to miss out on a particular format because they are playing in another. Let’s not make much of it. Over the last few years, Gill has been the No.1 batter in the world. He knows what he has to do, and hopefully by the time the WC comes by, he’ll be back to being No.1.”
Agarkar emphasized the ongoing discussions about the best combination, mentioning, “Was somebody’s position compromised? Nobody is talking about (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, he was in the last T20 WC squad and now he’s not here. So, like I said, this is the best combination that we configured for the upcoming tournament.”
Ishan Kishan’s Selection
Discussing Ishan Kishan’s comeback and his selection after recent heroics in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Agarkar said, “He bats at the top in white-ball cricket and he’s been in good form. We felt a keeper at the top gives us more combinations.”
Strength in All-Rounders
Agarkar noted the inclusion of numerous all-rounders, stating, “The inclusion of so many all-rounders gives us flexibility. There are a couple of all-rounders in Axar and Washi. We are very fortunate to have a couple of wrist spinners as well. The combination we will play depends on the team we play; it’ll be decided on the day, but we’ve got a lot more options to work with.”
Team Composition Discussion
Addressing the players who missed selection, Agarkar remarked, “Even if you discuss 10 other names, this is the 15 we have picked for now. It’s always nice when players are performing across different tournaments, but this right now is what we believe is a formidable team.”
Captain’s Take on the Squad
Suryakumar expressed satisfaction with the selections, stating, “The squad looks balanced; we’ve filled all the spots really well and have a lot of different combinations. So we’re quite happy.”
Regarding Gill’s exclusion, he clarified, “It’s not about his form or anything; it’s just about combinations. We wanted to have a keeper at the top, and someone like Rinku or Washington in the lower order.”
On Tilak Varma’s position, he mentioned, “Me and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) have started to feel that the left-right combination is a little overrated, but we have fixed that position in the batting order for Tilak.”
Speaking about the top-order strategy, Suryakumar said, “It’s important to have a good start in this format. We wanted to win the PowerPlay, and when we analysed how we could do that, we decided to go ahead with this combination. You go back to your old videos where you’ve been batting well. I’ve actually been batting beautifully in the nets.”
On his recent form, he noted, “This patch has been a little long; everyone goes through this in their careers. I know what to do and what to work on, and we have five matches against New Zealand where I can find some form.”
Reserve Players Query
Saikia addressed a question about the absence of reserve players, stating, “There are no standbys for this squad right now, as the tournament is taking place in our own country. Changes can and will be made accordingly, if needed.”
India’s Squad:
- Suryakumar Yadav (captain)
- Tilak Varma
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Shivam Dube
- Hardik Pandya
- Harshit Rana
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Axar Patel (vice-captain)
- Arshdeep Singh
- Rinku Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav.