Overview:
Yograj, who has had past conflicts with Kapil Dev, dragged the 1983 World Cup-winning captain into the ongoing debate.
Yograj Singh, the former India cricketer and father of Yuvraj Singh, has voiced his disappointment over Shubman Gill‘s omission from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. He slammed the selectors for not providing adequate support to Gill, despite having named him the team’s vice-captain just a year earlier.
Yograj drew a comparison to Kapil Dev, pointing out how the legendary all-rounder was given support by Bishan Singh Bedi during a challenging time. He suggested that Gill should be afforded the same patience and backing from the selectors and team management.
“Shubman Gill is the vice-captain. What’s the reason for dropping him? Just because he struggled in 4-5 innings? Indian cricketers have had players who barely performed in 10 matches out of 100,” Yograj said during an interview with Ravi Bisht on a YouTube show.
“They were still given chances, and you know why. Take young Abhishek Sharma, for instance. If he has four bad innings, will you drop him too?” he added.
Yograj, who has had past conflicts with Kapil Dev, dragged the 1983 World Cup-winning captain into the ongoing debate.
“Let me give you an example of the ‘great’ Kapil Dev. During our tour of Pakistan with Bishan Singh Bedi as captain, Kapil Dev kept playing despite struggling with both bat and ball. Bishan Singh Bedi still included him in the team for the next tour to England.”
Shubman Gill’s surprise omission, announced on December 20, followed a challenging return to the T20I side. Despite being named vice-captain during the Asia Cup and replacing the successful opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, Gill struggled with form, scoring only 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25.
While experimenting with the lineup, India dropped Samson as well. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified that Gill’s exclusion was due to team balance, not a lack of quality.