Former Indian cricketer and Yuvraj Singh’s father, Yograj Singh, has criticized the exclusion of Shubman Gill from India’s T20 World Cup squad, accusing the selectors of failing to support him enough despite being made the team’s vice-captain last year.
Citing an example involving Kapil Dev, Yograj argued that the legendary all-rounder was once supported by Bishan Singh Bedi despite enduring a lean patch and that Gill deserves similar patience from the team management and selectors.
“Shubman Gill is the vice-captain. What is the reason for dropping him? Just because he failed in 4-5 innings? Indian cricketers have had so many players who could barely perform in 10 matches out of 100 opportunities,” Yograj told Ravi Bisht on a YouTube show.
“They kept playing; you already know the reason. Young Abhishek Sharma came in a couple of years ago. If he fails in four innings, you drop him too?” he added.
Yograj, who had issues with Kapil Dev in the past, dragged the 1983 World Cup captain into the debate.
“Let me give an example of the ‘great’ Kapil Dev. When we toured Pakistan with Bishan Singh Bedi as captain, Kapil Dev continued to play despite not doing well with bat and ball. But Bishan Singh Bedi still took him on the following tour of England.”
Gill was left out of India’s T20 World Cup squadannounced on December 20 in a decision that surprised many. The batsman was recalled to the T20I side after a year and was named vice-captain during the Asia Cup.
India also broke the successful opening partnership between Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma to accommodate Gill at the top of the order. However, the move did not yield results as Gill struggled to find the right pace required for the shortest format of the game.
Gill managed just 291 runs from 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26 without registering a single half-century since his return to the T20I side.
Even as Gill struggled for form, India continued to search for the right combination in T20Is. Samson was initially pushed down the order before eventually being kicked out of the side.
The selectors and team management faced intense scrutiny before deciding to leave Gill out of the T20 World Cup squad. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressing the media after the selection meeting on 20 December said Gill was not fired for lack of qualitybut due to team combination requirements.
India subsequently recalled Ishan Kishan and rewarded him for his outstanding performances at home in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with the wicket-keeper batsman replacing Gill in the T20 World Cup squad.
However, Gill will continue to lead India in ODIs and Tests. The Punjab batsman, who is scheduled to play two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Jaipur, will captain India in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting on January 11.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
January 2, 2026
