Shubman Gill compared to Sunil Gavaskar: Former Team India coach wonders why he was made T20 vice-captain

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, have dropped Shubman Gill from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. The decision has created a major debate across Indian cricket.

BCCI made a bold and unexpected move by dropping the vice-captain, also a key opening batter. Many fans and experts have criticised the decision.

Former India batter WV Raman, the former coach of the women’s team, said he was confused by the selectors’ call.

Raman argued that Gill was not dropped because of any big mistake. Instead, the players selected ahead of him are simply more explosive, which is an important quality in modern T20 cricket.

The selectors chose players who fit specialised T20 roles, such as Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan. This led to the exclusion of both Gill and Jitesh Sharma.

Raman advised Gill not to read too much into the decision. According to him, squad selection depends on team balance and strategy, not on a player’s overall quality.

"If I was his coach, I would have told him that there is no place for emotion in a player's life. It is a decision that has been taken with the team composition in mind, and Gill should not think for a second that he has become a lesser player," Raman told the Times of India.

Raman compared the move to choosing Krishnamachari Srikkanth over Sunil Gavaskar in T20s. Everyone knows Gavaskar is the superior batter overall. But, the core reason behind choosing ‘Srikkanth’ is something else.

"In an imaginary scenario, it is almost like choosing K Srikkanth over Sunil Gavaskar for the T20 format, knowing full well who the better batter in the format actually could be," Raman said.

Raman also questioned why Gill was made vice-captain earlier.

“I was wondering why it was necessary to make him the T20 vice-captain at that stage, when so many others fit the T20 bill so well,” he added.

Shubman Gill has been struggling in T20 cricket. The lean patch coincides with him making a technical change before the England Test series. He chose to play with a straighter bat. Raman, however, does not think this adjustment affected Gill’s T20 batting.

He explained that playing with a straight bat does not limit big hitting. He referred to Rohit Sharma, who also played with a straight bat and still scored freely in the shortest format.

“Rohit Sharma plays with a straight bat, but does that restrict his hitting? Sometimes a straight bat opens up more scoring options even in T20 cricket. It is more about who you are as a player, and we have to admit that some of the others around him are naturally more explosive,” he said.

His Asia Cup phase in September 2025 was mixed. He hit an unbeaten 20 against the UAE, then struggled with low scores of 10 against Pakistan and 5 against Oman.

He returned well with 47 against Pakistan and 29 against Bangladesh. His UAE leg finished with 4 against Sri Lanka and 12 against Pakistan.

Gill then toured Australia. He struck an unbeaten 37 in Canberra, scored 5 in Melbourne and 15 in Hobart. He followed this with a fluent 46 in Carrara, then closed with an unbeaten 29 in Brisbane.

Shubman Gill has now gone 18 innings without a 50, which highlights a dip in his T20 performance. Since the 2024 World Cup, he has played 15 games for 291 runs at an average of 24.25. His strike rate of 137.26 is solid, but not explosive.