Shubman Gill Breaks Silence on T20 World Cup Snub: "Destiny Will Decide"

New Delhi (India) January 11: The India ODI captain Shubman Gill broke his silence after the 2026 World Cup snub. Gill's role at the global stage was the vice-captain of the T20I squad since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach. He was not named as one of the 15 in India's squad for the World Cup tournament. 

Gill's Graceful Response: Wishing SKY-Led Team World Cup Glory

Gill also commented ahead of the ODI series between India and New Zealand that he wished the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian T20 team all the best for the World Cup in the hopes that they too would win it. He spoke after weeks of debate about his omission, which flummoxed many fans and experts. 

Gill did comment on the absence and said he had reconciled with the selectors’ call and thought that he was confident to fulfil what was written in his future. 

“Firstly, it is my belief that in my life, I am where I am supposed to be. Whatever is written in my destiny, I will have it. As a player, I want to win games for my team, but having said that, I respect the selectors’ decision. I wish the T20 team the very best. I hope that they win the World Cup,” Shubman Gill said.

Future Leader? Gill Eyes ODI Redemption

The announcement of India's team in the T20 World Cup last month had also raised eyebrows as Gill’s name was nowhere to be found and Axar Patel was named vice-captain. He had rejoined the T20I setup during the 2025 Asia Cup and was now seen as an all-format player.

Following his successful series as Test captain in England, the possibility that he was considered a future leader of sorts was also with formats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in all formats after a successful series that led to talks as Test captain of the day; he could also be a future leader in such future leaderships into another format. However, Gill never stood out in the T20Is. 

T20 Struggles Exposed: Low Scores and No Half-Centuries

He was regularly provided chances in his preferred batting position, but he missed big scores. Only 32 runs in three matches in the last T20I series against South Africa, he had not hit a fifty in months. His presence also meant that Sanju Samson was sidelined, even though he performed well last year. 

Gill appeared in 15 T20Is in 2025, hitting 219 batters per average 24.25 to hit 137.26 not including a half century record. Gill would not let fans mourn that he could not play the shortest format.

Selectors' Logic: Team Balance Over Gill's All-Format Promise

The committee later made it clear that Gill was not dropped based on form alone. Management had wanted wicketkeepers at the top of the order — chief selector Ajit Agarkar. 

Ishan Kishan got the pick as a backup player with Sanju Samson already in the team and Gill was being missed by selection of the team combination.