The BCCI Selection Committee has officially announced India’s squads for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, and for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Shubman Gill has found no place in either squad, despite his stellar IPL 2026 season as captain of Gujarat Titans, during which he amassed 732 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 163.03.
Joining him on the sidelines is Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain and middle-order batter Rajat Patidar, who has also been omitted from both squads, highlighting the fierce competition for places in India’s white-ball set-up. His exclusion reflects the depth that India currently possesses in their middle order, with Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy the preferred options.
Additionally, the call-up of 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi signifies that the selection committee is looking to incorporate and prioritise players who embody fearlessness and longevity as they prepare for the return of cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Also missing is Rinku Singh, who was part of India’s World Cup-winning squad in 2026. Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya are also absent from the squads, though that is more to do with workload management and a focus on the 2027 (50-over) World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah, widely regarded as India’s premier fast bowler, has been assigned to the Asian Games squad rather than the Ireland and England T20I tours, again keeping workload issues in mind.
Competition for batting spots, particularly in the top order, has become extremely intense, given the abundance of talent available to Indian cricket. Gill’s absence is perhaps the clearest indication of that reality. While he will serve as captain of the ODI side against Afghanistan, his omission from the T20I squads underscores the selectors’ desire to continue evolving India’s shortest-format setup.