If your form is not good, I will drop you: Gautam Gambhir praised for sending message to players with Shubman Gill snub

Former England spinner Monty Panesar has praised Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir over the decision to exclude Shubman Gill from India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Gill was snubbed as India announced their 15-man squad for the showpiece event last week. The star batter was dropped despite being the vice-captain of the team.

Panesar hailed Gambhir for 'sending a message' to the Indian team stars by dropping vice-captain Gill from the T20 World Cup squad. Gill was dropped amid his poor run in T20Is as the selectors recalled Ishan Kishan in the T20 World Cup squad after his sensational performances for Jharkhand in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025.

Kishan led Jharkhand to glory and finished SMAT 2025 as the highest run-getter with 517 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of over 197. He has been roped in the side as a back-up opener for Sanju Samson, who is now expected to pair up with Abhishek Sharma at the top after Gill's snub.

Gill's poor run coincided with Kishan's stellar rise, leading to his exclusion. Since making his comeback in the Asia Cup 2025 earlier this year, Gill managed only 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25, with the highest score of 47. His underwhelming returns prompted the selectors to take a bold call ahead of the World Cup.

"Gautam Gambhir has also sent a message that no matter how big a player you are, if your form is not good, I am not afraid, I will drop you. I think that is a good message, because all the big players in India will think about it, that it should not be that next time it is our turn. You know, maybe he could even drop Suryakumar Yadav. So it is a good message," Panesar said in an interview with Kadak.

Panesar lauded Gambhir for making the right call despite Gill's stature as a player and called the India head coach a fearless leader.

"And I had been saying this earlier as well that Gautam Gambhir will take the right decision, the right decision for the team. And if he feels that whether you are a big player or a small player, if you are not in good form, he will not select you. I had a bit of a doubt earlier too that maybe Shubman Gill’s form has not been good. And Gautam Gambhir is the kind of leader who is not afraid; he will take big decisions. He has made a big decision now, and I think it is the right one," he added.

Gill was reportedly informed about his non-selection hours before India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 was announced at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Sunday. Gill was surprised at the snub as he was reportedly preparing for the showpiece event, which is set to get underway in February next year.

Some reports have also claimed that Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar wanted Gill to be in the squad, however, the other selectors were not on the same page, as they backed Kishan on current form.