Sanjay Manjrekar feels Shubman Gill's T20 World Cup snub is selectors rectifying mistake when they got carried away after England tour

Veteran cricket commentator Sanjay Manjrekar recently shared his perspective on why Shubman Gill was left out of India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad, suggesting the decision was a strategic course correction by the selection committee. According to Manjrekar, the selectors had previously deviated from their long-term plans by reintroducing Gill into the T20 setup just before the Asia Cup.

Sanjay Manjrekar's bold remark on Shubman Gill's T20 World Cup snub

This move disrupted the momentum of Sanju Samson, who had solidified his position as a top-order mainstay by scoring three centuries in that role. By bringing Gill back, the team was forced to demote Samson down the batting order before eventually dropping him from the playing XI altogether.

Manjrekar noted that the decision to prioritise Gill in the shorter format was likely an emotional reaction to his phenomenal success in Test cricket. Following Gill's dominant performance during the England tour—where he amassed over 700 runs in a five-match series—selectors seemingly "got carried away" by his red-ball form. However, because Gill failed to deliver impactful performances in the T20 matches that followed, the pressure mounted to restore Samson to the opening slot, leading the selectors to ultimately rectify their earlier choice by omitting Gill from the World Cup roster.

This is what happens when you pick some one excitedly on Test performance for T20s

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"When you pick some one excitedly on Test performance for T20s, this is what happens. Gill omission is basically selectors rectifying a mistake they made when they got a bit carried away after the England tour," he wrote in X.

Ultimately, the decision to omit Gill is seen as a timely move for the Indian squad, primarily because his dip in confidence could have become a liability during a high-stakes tournament like the World Cup. In contrast, Sanju Samson earned his place by maintaining peak form and consistently capitalising on every opportunity presented to him over the last year. While the actual performance of either player in the tournament remains speculative, the consensus is that the selectors made the logical choice by favoring a player with proven momentum over one who lacked recent match practice and mental rhythm.

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The squad overhaul didn't stop at the opening slot; the inclusion of Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh further signaled a shift in strategy, resulting in Jitesh Sharma missing the cut.

India's squad for T20 World Cup and T20I series vs New Zealand

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.