‘Little Bit Of Clarity Lacking’: Ex-Cricketer Calls Out India’s Decision To Drop Shubman Gill From T20 World Cup 2026 Squad

Shubman Gill was removed as the vice captain and dropped from the T20 World Cup squad on December 20 after his subpar performance in the recent T20I against South Africa. Alongside Gill, wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma was also dropped from the squad. Notably, both Jitesh Sharma and Shubman Gill were a part of the squad against South Africa in the five-match T20I series that India won 3-1.

Following the omission, former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Kartik took to Instagram to react to the announced squad. Dinesh Kartik expressed his surprise on seeing the squad, as he had not expected Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma to be dropped, and explained that this decision lacked a bit of clarity.

ALSO READ- Tilak Varma Wins 'Impact Player of The Series' Following Thunderous Knock In Series Decider T20I Match In Ahmedabad

Dinesh Kartik On BCCI's Decision To Drop Gill

The former KKR star shared that this decision came as a surprise, as the team management had been backing Shubman Gill for a long time despite his lack of form; however, after including him in the recent T20 format, the management decided to let him go ahead of the marquee tournament.

In a video posted on Instagram, Dinesh Kartik shared, "Instead of Jitesh Sharma, it's gonna be Rinku Singh. That is huge news, dropping Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma. I didn't see that coming. Just tells you there's a little bit of clarity lacking. They've backed Shubman Gill for so long, and come the day when they pick the squad, they have let him go."

He further shared, "Shubman Gill, the current vice-captain of the T20 team, incumbent opener, has been dropped. Not just from the XI, but from the squad. And they wanted to bring in an extra opener, so they brought in Ishaan Kishan and dropped Jitesh Sharma as well."

ALSO READ- 'Idolo': Kuldeep Yadav Opens Up On His Encounter With Lionel Messi

Shubman Gill In The T20 Format This Year

Gill struggled to find his form in the T20 format this year, as the player only managed to score 291 runs in 15 innings with an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 137.26. With Gill removed as the vice captain, Axar Patel was named as the next vice captain.