India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill faced a lot of backlash for his inclusion in the T20I squad as the young batter made his comeback in the shortest format just before the Asia Cup 2025. Gill, who was appointed as Rohit Sharma’s successor to lead India in Tests and ODIs, was named Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in T20Is.
Gill failed to perform against South Africa
Despite strong backing from the team management, the young batter failed to perform up to the mark. He had a poor outing in the Asia Cup 2025 and also struggled in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Following these performances, the 26-year-old lost his place in India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup 2026.
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Gill made his ODI comeback
However, Gill, who missed India’s last ODI assignment against South Africa due to a neck injury, has made his return to the 50-over format for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to begin on January 11.
Shubman Gill on his omission from India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Ahead of the ODI series opener, Gill addressed his omission from the T20 World Cup squad, saying that he believes he is where he is meant to be and that no one can take away what is written in his destiny.
“I am where I have to be, and whatever is written in my destiny, no one can take that from me. A player always believes he will try his best for the country, and the selectors have taken their decision,” Gill said ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill's upcoming outing
Shubman Gill will now be seen leading India in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which will start from January 11.
India vs New Zealand ODI series schedule
| Match | Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Sunday, 11 Jan 2026 | BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara | 1:30 PM |
| 2nd ODI | Wednesday, 14 Jan 2026 | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 1:30 PM |
| 3rd ODI | Sunday, 18 Jan 2026 | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore | 1:30 PM |
India's squad against New Zealand
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal