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Shubman Gill's poor form in T20Is will be a topic of discussion when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel meets on Saturday to pick India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. The selection committee is set to meet on Saturday afternoon to pick the squad for the T20 World Cup, which is set to get underway on February 07.
According to a report in The Indian Express, there are no major surprises expected in the squad. However, discussions are likely to centre on Gill's rough patch since his return to the T20I setup during the Asia Cup 2025 earlier this year. There is also expected to be a debate around who, among Rinku Singh and all-rounder Washington Sundar, should make the cut in the squad.
Gill's form is a concern for the selectors and the Indian team management as the opener has failed to fire consistently in the lead up to the showpiece event which is set to be played in India and Sri Lanka next year. Gill replaced an in-form Samson at the top after returning to the T20I setup in the Asia Cup, however, his returns have been far from impressive.
Gill opening with Abhishek Sharma resulted in Samson being moved to the middle order, where he has struggled to deliver. In 15 innings since his T20I comeback during the Asia Cup 2025, Gill has managed only 291 runs in 15 innings, with the highest score of 47, which came against Pakistan in Dubai.
With Samson in the squad and the likes of Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings, the pressure is on Gill and the Agarkar-led selection panel ahead of the squad announcement. Gill's rough patch coincides with skipper Suryakumar Yadav's disastrous run in the format, further increasing India's problems.
However, as per the report, Gill is likely to get a longer rope and will be backed in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand next month, which will be India's final T20I assignment before the World Cup next year. The selectors are also not keen on bringing in a new player in the squad with just a series to go for the World Cup.
The selectors will also have to choose between Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar for a spot in the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. While Rinku was part of India's Asia Cup 2025-winning squad earlier this year, Sundar was preferred over the left-arm batter due to his all-round abilities in the T20I series against South Africa.
With Suryakumar and Gill struggling, there is a chance that the selectors might want to pick Rinku as a cover, who can be included in the playing XI when required. As per the report, the selectors are keen on picking three spinners and an extra batter in the T20 World Cup squad.
Washington was the fourth spinner in India's squad in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, alongside Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy. However, with Gambhir's preference for multidimensional players and the World Cup to be played in India, Sundar can be preferred if the team management and the selectors feel Hardik Pandya and Jitesh Sharma are good enough to play the finisher's role in the side.
