New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik was shocked after the exclusion of India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill from the T20 World Cup 2026 and the New Zealand T20I series. Along with Gill, Karthik also expressed his disappointment at the removal of Jitesh Sharma from the squad.
The squad was announced by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, captain Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Saturday, and Axar Patel was named as the vice-captain. Ishan Kishan makes a remarkable comeback after showcasing explosive form while leading Jharkhand to victory in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Rinku Singh also returns to the T20I squad after missing out on the 3-1 series win in South Africa.
Karthik admitted surprise at Shubman Gill’s exclusion and expressed disappointment over Jitesh Sharma missing out, terming both as shocking omissions from the squad.
“The big news of the day: India World Cup T20 squad is announced and guess what? Shubman Gill, the current vice captain of the T20 team, incumbent opener has been dropped. Not just from the XI but from the squad. They wanted to bring in an extra opener and they brought in Ishan Kishan and dropped Jitesh Sharma as well. And instead of Jitesh Sharma, it’s gonna be Rinku Singh. That is huge news. Dropping Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma. I didn’t see it coming. Just tells you there’s a little bit of clarity lacking. They have backed Shubman Gill for so long and come the day they pick the squad, they have let him go,” Karthik said on Instagram.
Karthik believes India head into the upcoming T20 World Cup with a formidable squad on paper, built around match-winners across all skillsets. Karthik said India possess the best opener in Abhishek Sharma, the best spinner in Varun Chakaravarthy, the world’s premier allrounder in Hardik Pandya and arguably the best fast bowler ever in Jasprit Bumrah, which ensures a strong playing XI even before final combinations are decided.
However, he pointed out a couple of potential vulnerabilities, highlighting that for the first time India will go into a T20 World Cup without the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, while also flagging concerns over Suryakumar Yadav’s recent form, though he backed him to turn it into a strength once he regains touch.
“India looks a strong squad on paper no matter what names you add there, this team is a solid team. Across every skillset, they have the best in the world: best opener: Abhishek Sharma, best spinner: Varun Chakaravarthy, best allrounder in the world: Hardik Pandya, the best fast bowler ever maybe: Jasprit Bumrah. So with those 4 in the squad, you are going to have a strong XI walking into that World Cup. Couple of areas of vulnerabilities that India would have: For the first time ever in a T20 World Cup, they will have no experience of the greatest two that’s probably ever played in Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli in a World Cup team. And the second point would be Suryakumar Yadav’s form. But we all know how good he is. That vulnerable aspect will it change into a strength when he finds form? It definitely will. Well, let’s just finish by saying: Shubman Gill. Didn’t see that coming. And I feel really bad for Jitesh Sharma. 2 shocking omissions from this squad,” he added.
India’s T20 World Cup campaign will start on February 7 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium against the United States. After that, on February 12, they will head to New Delhi to play Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The big match versus Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15 would come next. On February 18, India will play the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to conclude their group round.
–IANS
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