Devadwal
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Star batter misses out on India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Defending champions and co-hosts India have named their squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to begin on February 7. The hosts enter the tournament aiming to clinch a record third title.
Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in his first-ever ICC tournament as captain, with Axar Patel named as his deputy in the absence of star batter Shubman Gill, who was dropped after lean performances upon his return to the T20I setup in September.
Along with Gill, Jitesh Sharma, who had featured in the recent T20Is against South Africa, also missed out.
Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Fiery opener Abhishek Sharma, who has a strike rate of 188.02 in the format, is expected to open the side, with Sanju Samson expected to partner him.
Ishan Kishan, who last played a T20I for India in 2023, has been brought in as the backup opener and wicket-keeper.
Kishan has been rewarded for his sterling campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's domestic T20 tournament, where he led Jharkhand to the title while top-scoring with 517 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57.44 and a whirlwind strike rate of 197.32.
The biggest news coming out of the announcement was the omission of Gill, who was named the T20I vice-captain for the Asia Cup. However, since his return to the T20I setup in September, Gill had scored just 291 runs at an average of 24.25.
On the other hand, since the 2024 T20 World Cup, Sanju Samson has often featured at the top and averages 32.90 with a strike rate closing in on 160.
Besides Gill's form, the selectors also took into consideration the combinations they were looking for in the T20 World Cup.
"You're looking at combinations at the moment," Agarkar said. "If your keeper (Sanju Samson) is going to bat at the top, our thought was to have another keeper [Ishan Kishan], just in case."
"At the moment, Jitesh was there, and hadn't done too much wrong. We know what a quality player he is, perhaps out of runs at the moment. Unfortunate to miss out on the last World Cup as well, because we went with a different combination. But it's the combination more than anything else.
"Two keepers at the top, that's the way we want to try it. Rinku, who gives us a little bit more depth lower down the order. It's all about combinations, someone's going to miss out when you pick a 15, and unfortunately, it's Gill at this point."
Suryakumar, along with a returning Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube, will comprise India's strong middle-order.
Jasprit Bumrah will lead the bowling attack with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Pandya making up the pace battery, while Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakaravarthy will lead the charge in the spin department.
www.icc-cricket.com
Defending champions and co-hosts India have named their squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to begin on February 7. The hosts enter the tournament aiming to clinch a record third title.
Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in his first-ever ICC tournament as captain, with Axar Patel named as his deputy in the absence of star batter Shubman Gill, who was dropped after lean performances upon his return to the T20I setup in September.
Along with Gill, Jitesh Sharma, who had featured in the recent T20Is against South Africa, also missed out.
Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Fiery opener Abhishek Sharma, who has a strike rate of 188.02 in the format, is expected to open the side, with Sanju Samson expected to partner him.
Ishan Kishan, who last played a T20I for India in 2023, has been brought in as the backup opener and wicket-keeper.
Kishan has been rewarded for his sterling campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's domestic T20 tournament, where he led Jharkhand to the title while top-scoring with 517 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57.44 and a whirlwind strike rate of 197.32.
The biggest news coming out of the announcement was the omission of Gill, who was named the T20I vice-captain for the Asia Cup. However, since his return to the T20I setup in September, Gill had scored just 291 runs at an average of 24.25.
On the other hand, since the 2024 T20 World Cup, Sanju Samson has often featured at the top and averages 32.90 with a strike rate closing in on 160.
Besides Gill's form, the selectors also took into consideration the combinations they were looking for in the T20 World Cup.
"You're looking at combinations at the moment," Agarkar said. "If your keeper (Sanju Samson) is going to bat at the top, our thought was to have another keeper [Ishan Kishan], just in case."
"At the moment, Jitesh was there, and hadn't done too much wrong. We know what a quality player he is, perhaps out of runs at the moment. Unfortunate to miss out on the last World Cup as well, because we went with a different combination. But it's the combination more than anything else.
"Two keepers at the top, that's the way we want to try it. Rinku, who gives us a little bit more depth lower down the order. It's all about combinations, someone's going to miss out when you pick a 15, and unfortunately, it's Gill at this point."
Suryakumar, along with a returning Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube, will comprise India's strong middle-order.
Jasprit Bumrah will lead the bowling attack with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Pandya making up the pace battery, while Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakaravarthy will lead the charge in the spin department.
Star batter misses out on India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad | ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026 | ICC
Suryakumar Yadav will lead India as they seek to become the first side to win back-to-back ICC Men's T20 World Cups.
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