Why was Shubman Gill excluded from the T20 World Cup? Harbhajan Singh reveals the reason

Harbhajan Singh on Shubman Gill: Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has expressed disappointment over Shubman Gill's exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad. He stated that Gill was left out solely due to team combination. He is expected to make a comeback into India's T20 team soon.

Harbhajan Singh on Shubman Gill: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has supported the decision to make Shubman Gill the new ODI captain, stating that the star opener appears ready for bigger challenges. He also mentioned that despite being left out of the T20 World Cup squad, Gill will get more opportunities in the T20 International format as the vice-captain. Additionally, Harbhajan explained the reason behind Gill's exclusion from the T20 World Cup.

Gill Focused on ODI Series Preparation

Shubman Gill is currently preparing for the home ODI series against New Zealand, which is set to begin on January 11. So far, he has not made a significant impact as both a batsman and a leader in ODIs. In T20Is, Gill also failed to live up to expectations after returning as vice-captain during the Asia Cup. In his last 15 innings since returning to T20s, he has scored only 291 runs and has not registered a single half-century. This led to his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad.

Excluded Due to Combination

Regarding Gill's return to ODIs and his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad, Harbhajan Singh said that Gill's return to ODIs was inevitable. There was no doubt about it. He stated, "I believe Shubman Gill was left out due to the combination that the Indian team was looking for in the T20 format. Otherwise, I never had any doubt that he would not be in the ODI or Test team."

Gives Ajit Agarkar 10 out of 10

Bhajji said that the T20 team is genuinely very good. He added, "I had said that Ajit should get 10 out of 10 for the team. Although I felt a bit bad for Shubman, he will get more opportunities soon. All the players are match-winners in themselves. Hopefully, we will win the World Cup consecutively, as we have the team for it."

Praises Spin Trio

Harbhajan also praised the match-winning spin trio selected for the T20 World Cup – Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. He said, "Spin is good for India. Kuldeep, Varun, and Axar are all spinners and can win you a match in a single spell. Players are still not understanding Varun. Kuldeep has that variation. This is a good combination of spinners; hopefully, they stay injury-free and serve India for a long time."