Australia’s legendary opener and current Gujarat Titans (GT) batting coach, Matthew Hayden, has put his weight behind skipper Shubman Gill amid continued snub from T20Is. Hayden says selectors are doing their job but Gill is not backing down, constantly knocking on their doors with heaps of runs. He Hayden acknowledges that the modern T20 cricket poses a challenge for Gill but it will only push him to find ways to evolve as a batter which he attempted in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
“The selectors will choose whoever they have to. But Shubman does what he does - mount a compelling case by getting runs, be superb in the field and lead from the front,” Hayden told Hindustan Times.
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“At the moment, he may be challenged by the modern landscape of T20 cricket but that will prick the inner athlete in him to try and get better and evolve, which he was trying to do during the IPL and did so very successfully.”
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Hayden further pointed out that Gill has a drive to become the no.1 player in the world. He also hailed his leadership style.
The 26-year-old had a good IPL 2026 season with the bat and as captain. From 16 innings, he scored 732 runs, averaging 45.75 at a strike rate of 163.02. He scored a century and six fifties in the season.
He knocked on the selectors’ doors for a comeback to the T20I side.
Past record doesn’t guarantee a place in T20I squad?
While there were calls to hand Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his T20I debut, it led to Sanju Samson getting rested/dropped from the T20I squad. Samson was benched for the second T20I and then didn’t find a place in the squad for Zimbabwe. He is the second player of the T20 World Cup 2026-winning team after skipper Suryakumar Yadav to get dropped. In the current T20I squad, Gill will have to bide his time before he gets an opportunity again.
When was Gill dropped from T20Is?
Gill was Suryakumar’s deputy and was being looked at his successor after T20 World Cup 2026. But, he wasn’t at his best and was dropped from the squad ahead of T20 World Cup 2026 at home. He was replaced by Ishan Kishan who went on to justify his place in the squad.
What’s next for Gill?
Gill will be seen in action in the three-ODI series against England which will commence on July 14. After the ODI series, the focus will shift to the two-Test series on Sri Lanka soil in August.