Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has stepped into the talk round India’s T20 World Cup 2026 choice, firmly backing the selectors’ resolution to stick with Suryakumar Yadav whereas leaving out Shubman Gill. Kaif believes the 2 batsmen are at very totally different phases of their T20 journeys, and treating their kind dips as equivalent conditions misses the larger image.
Gill’s omission got here as a shock when the choice committee met in Mumbai on December 20, particularly given his current position as vice-captain and his perceived standing as a long-term management choice. Nevertheless, Kaif defined that the decision was rooted in T20 pedigree quite than potential. Talking on his YouTube channel, he pressured that Suryakumar’s previous dominance within the format earned him prolonged backing, one thing Gill remains to be working in direction of.
“There’s a distinction within the circumstances of Gill and Surya. Surya has been a confirmed match-winner in T20s. He has been on high of the ICC rankings and received video games as effectively. We will not examine the 2 right here. Gill needed to show himself on this format within the Indian staff,” Kaif stated.
“Take Kohli for instance, he didn’t rating for these two years throughout COVID however as a result of he had a terrific report and a match-winner for 10 years or so, you backed him on his repute and he received out of that section and began scoring once more. Surya can also be on this class. Gill is nowhere near Surya on this format. Saying you must take away each if they aren’t in kind isn’t proper right here. Surya has earned this,” he added.
Kaif additionally made it clear that Suryakumar’s poor run ought to immediate evaluation, not exclusion, and pointed to the necessity for endurance when coping with elite T20 gamers.
“He can’t be dropped. In Surya’s case, he must be backed. It’s good to deal with the place he’s making errors and why he’s not capable of rating. Is it due to the captaincy? Is that strain attending to him? That’s the query,” Kaif mirrored.
“He’s a stable participant on this format. The query is how he can get out of this section. He must assess whether or not he’s placing his vitality elsewhere and whether or not his approach is uncovered. He has to search out these solutions,” he stated.
Suryakumar’s current T20I numbers underline the priority. In 2025, he managed solely 218 runs from 19 innings at a mean of 13.62, with a highest rating of 47 within the Asia Cup. He additionally struggled towards South Africa, scoring simply 34 runs in 4 innings throughout a house collection that India received 3–1.
Gill’s output, whereas higher, nonetheless failed to satisfy trendy T20 benchmarks. He scored 291 runs from 15 matches at a mean of 24.25 and a strike price simply above 137, numbers that didn’t align with India’s demand for explosive opening partnerships. With Axar Patel named vice-captain as a substitute, the selectors signaled a transparent desire for confirmed T20 affect. A five-match T20I collection towards New Zealand subsequent month will now supply Suryakumar the prospect to justify that religion.
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