The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sidelined Shubman Gill from the T20I format despite assigning him the captain for the other two formats of the game. The decision to exclude Gill from the T20 International format was considered a bold statement by the national team selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar.
BCCI might have taken a significant decision to find out the best possible playing combination for the format, but for Gill, it could have hurt his pride. Former India cricketer, now a cricket expert and commentator, Cheteshwar Pujara believes that Gill could be on a different level as a batter in the upcoming IPL 2026, starting on March 28.
BCCI dropped Shubman Gill from T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026
Shubman Gill last featured in the T20I for India on December 14, 2025, against South Africa in Dharamshala. As the board assigned him to the Test and ODI formats, fans were expecting to see him in the T20Is as well. Proving most of the fans wrong, BCCI went on to win the T20 World Cup 2026 without the top-order batter.
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While Gill’s batting credibility remains beyond question, it was the strike rate that was considered one of the main reasons behind his omission from the format. If he wants to make a comeback in the T20I team again, then the IPL 2026 could be the best stage for him.
T20 World Cup squad snub will definitely fire up Shubman Gill: Shubman Gill
Pujara opined that the snub must be fired up at Shubman when he walks into the ground to play the IPL 2026 with the Gujarat Titans. The former cricketer said that if the batter performed strongly, then he would surely be named in the T20I team again.
“The T20 World Cup squad snub will definitely fire up Shubman Gill. He is a quality player suited for all three formats. If he has a good IPL 2026 season, he will surely put his name in India’s T20I squad.”
“He is leading the Test squad and is also the ODI captain. He is a multi-format player. If he has a good season, he will be back in the scheme of things for the Indian team,” Cheteshwar Pujara explained, speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Game Plan – Know Your Team’ show.
Pujara asks Gill to increase the strike rate
Pujara suggested that Gibat with a little more intent. If he can score a significant amount of runs, under pressure, maintaining a strike rate around 160, then the selectors will bring him back into the T20I squad, Pujara said.
“There will be some pressure on him because he has not been part of the India squad in the shortest format. But at the same time, it is a great opportunity for him to carry on batting the way he has.”
“He needs to try to accelerate a little more because that is something he has been working on. This IPL season is the perfect one for him to show he can bat at a strike rate of 150 to 160,” Pujara added,” he added.
Read More: “Tu karlega..”: Shubman Gill backed Abhishek Sharma after ‘three ducks’ during T20 World Cup 2026