NEW DELHI: India's ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill's omission from the 15-member T20 World Cup squad came as a shock, especially after the young batter was elevated to vice-captain in the shortest format, with an eye on grooming him as an all-format captain in the future.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir was the man behind Gill's elevation, backing him to the hilt and promoting him to the opening slot in place of Sanju Samson in T20Is. However, the decision backfired as Gill failed to fire as an opener. In 2025, Gill played 15 innings, scoring 291 runs at a strike rate of 137 without registering a single fifty or century.

The strange case of Shubman Gill’s omission: The captain stayed, the vice-captain didn’t, guess why?

Gambhir now found himself on a sticky wicket, as he was seen avoiding media queries on why Gill was dropped from the World Cup squad. He landed in Delhi on Saturday after India sealed the five-match T20I series 3-1 against South Africa, winning the final match in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Gambhir was not present in Mumbai for the squad announcement, which was attended by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav.

However, upon his arrival in Delhi, the India head coach was immediately surrounded by reporters eager for his reaction. As Gambhir prepared to leave the airport, he was questioned about the BCCI's decision to omit Gill from the World Cup squad, but he chose not to respond, with security stepping in to disperse the crowd.

Agarkar explains Gill's exclusion

BCCI's selection committee Ajit Agarkar acknowledged that Gill's omission from India's T20 World Cup squad was primarily due to a lack of runs and the need to settle on a stable combination going into a major tournament.

"We're looking at continuity; we want a keeper batting at the top. We know what a quality player Shubman Gill, he wasn't playing much T20s. It's the combination more than anything else. It's more about combinations, someone has to miss out when you pick 15 and unfortunately, it's Gill at this point," Agarkar said while addressing the press conference.