Shubman Gill dropped for T20 World Cup as selectors opt for Powerplay boost, team balance

Agarkar is learnt to have communicated the last-minute decision to Gill, the captain of the Test and ODI teams, only after the selection meeting.

While the selection panel was expected to discuss Gill’s place in the 15-member squad, the bold call of leaving him out came as a surprise. Despite the underwhelming returns of Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav, the team looked settled on paper, with the big debate being around Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh.

As it turned out, both left-handers made the cut, while Gill and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma were left out. With Sanju Samson being the first-choice wicketkeeper, the selectors chose Ishan Kishan as the back-up option as he also bats at the top.

Explaining why Gill didn’t make the cut, Agarkar said: “You’re looking at combinations at the moment. Someone has to miss out when you take 15. And unfortunately, it’s him (Gill). It’s not because he’s not a good player.”

It is learnt that when the selectors met the team management to discuss the composition of the World Cup squad, one aspect that dominated the discussions was over-reliance on Hardik Pandya in the finisher’s role. The team management believed there was scope to accommodate a specialist, and that’s how Rinku made the cut, as an alternative to Gill instead of Washington.

Ever since Suryakumar and head coach Gautam Gambhir started their tenures, they have gone about strengthening the T20 team which won the 2024 World Cup. Having embraced a high-risk approach with the bat all along, a batsman of Gill’s calibre was seen as an asset for the Asia Cup earlier this year.

So what changed between September and now? It was largely the combination factor and the need to not compromise on the Powerplay.

With India scheduled to play at six different venues for the T20 World Cup, there is a strong chance that conditions may get slower as the tournament nears the business end. In such a scenario, runs in the Powerplay tend to be at a premium, as was evident in the last T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Friday. Having Samson open alongside Abhishek Sharma could create a situation where the opponents are put under pressure from the start. And that is the sort of edge India want at the World Cup.

With Tilak Varma, Suryakumar, Shivam Dube and Pandya to follow, the selectors and the team management are also learnt to have discussed the risk that comes with this approach. It is learnt that during the team management’s meeting with the selectors, where they pondered over all kinds of possibilities, one question remained unanswered. If they go with an attacking approach and lose three wickets in the Powerplay, who do they turn to? With Suryakumar, too, enduring a lean patch, the think tank didn’t want two batsmen struggling for form. And this is where the team management believed Rinku’s presence would come handy, playing the finisher’s role and fitting seamlessly into the combination.

With the decision to go with Rinku, and Samson being locked in as the first-choice opener, Jitesh was left out. Kishan’s form meant he would be the ideal back-up to the two openers and the wicketkeeper.

India will begin their campaign on the opening day of the tournament with a game against the United States on February 7. India’s next match is against Namibia (February 12) before taking on arch rivals Pakistan in Colombo on February 15. India will complete their Group A engagements with a match against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18. The Super 8s matches will begin from February 21 and the final is slated for March 8.