Shubman Gill left in the dark over T20 World Cup snub, report reveals startling details

Shubman Gill’s exclusion from India’s T20 World Cup squad was not finalised on Saturday when BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia officially announced the team, but much earlier—on Wednesday, when the fourth T20 International against South Africa was called off due to thick smog.

That was the day the decision was made that Gill would not be picked for the World Cup, yet until Saturday morning, India’s two-format captain was neither informed by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar nor briefed by skipper Suryakumar Yadav or head coach Gautam Gambhir, according to a PTI report quoting a BCCI source.

While the skipper, whose record over the past year has been poor, received a reprieve, it is understandable that Gill may feel let down and slightly disrespected by the manner in which he was ruthlessly dispensed with.

The moment news emerged that Gill had injured his toe while batting, it became evident that something was amiss and that the team management, led by Gambhir and Suryakumar, had already moved on from his place in the side.

If BCCI sources are to be believed, the management had decided to drop the vice-captain even though he was keen to play the Ahmedabad game, as the injury was not serious.

That marked the first sign of an exit route being created for the underperforming Indian vice-captain, who scored a total of 32 runs in three games against South Africa. Initially, the medical team feared a hairline fracture, but scans later revealed it was only a bruise, and Gill could have featured in the Ahmedabad match with the help of painkillers.

“If making him vice-captain for the Asia Cup on the back of his England Test heroics was a wrong move as Sanju (Samson) had done nothing wrong, then dropping him just five games before the start of the T20 World Cup suggests this is more of a course correction by Agarkar’s panel,” a former national selector told PTI.

“And the decision has more footprints of the head coach, who is actually not known for maintaining continuity.”

At the press conference for India's squad announcement on Saturday, Agarkar said: "We know what a quality player he is, but, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment.”

“(He was) unfortunate to miss out on the last World Cup as well because we went with a different combination. But it’s the combinations more than anything else. Two keepers at the top—that’s the way we want to try. Someone has to miss out when you pick 15 and, unfortunately, it’s Gill at this point,” he added.

Notably, Gill continues to captain India in two other formats, and this move is certain to create an atmosphere of mistrust within the dressing room.