Ex-IND coach calls Shubman Gill’s T20I omission not his fault: ‘Almost like choosing K Srikkanth over Sunil Gavaskar’

Shubman Gill’s exclusion from India’s T20 World Cup squad has dominated discussion in recent days. Having served as vice-captain in several key series, including the Asia Cup, his omission raised eyebrows when the selectors finalised the squad for next year’s marquee tournament. Given his leadership role and stature in the setup, the call has sparked widespread debate among fans and experts alike. Since his return to the T20I side in the Asia Cup, Gill struggled to fully justify his place in the XI. He managed just 291 runs across 15 matches at a strike rate of 137.26, failing to register a single half-century.

India reverted to their earlier opening pair, with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma set to open the innings in the New Zealand series and likely carry the combination into the T20 World Cup.

Former India women’s team coach WV Raman shared his perspective on Shubman’s exclusion, underlining that it wasn’t a reflection of his shortcomings. Drawing a comparison with the classic Sunil Gavaskar–Krishnamachari Srikkanth contrast, Raman explained how modern T20 demands explosive options, making the selection more about role fit than pure batting pedigree.

“Gill hasn’t been dropped for any significant fault of his,” WV Raman told The Times of India. “Just that the players around him are more explosive than him, a quality that is essential in modern-day T20 cricket. 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. That’s why 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.”

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“No place for emotion in a player’s life”

Raman further addressed the mindset around Gill’s exclusion, emphasising the need for clarity and composure. He pointed out that such calls are purely about team balance and roles, not a reflection of a player’s worth, and urged Gill to stay detached from the emotion and trust his ability.

“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 said.