“It just shows the depth of Indian cricket” - Ricky Ponting surprised by Shubman Gill’s omission for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has stated that he couldn’t believe Shubman Gill’s omission from the Indian squad for the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, scheduled to start on Saturday, February 7, in India and Sri Lanka.

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Speaking exclusively on The ICC Review, Ponting asserted that while Gill’s white-ball form hasn’t been at par, he added that he was exceptional in the red-ball series against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which India drew 2-2.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe that. I know his recent form hasn't been great in white-ball cricket. And the last time that I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK, where he batted as well as I've ever seen anybody bat," Ponting said on The ICC Review.

Furthermore, the former skipper stressed India's strong bench strength, emphasizing that the depth in Indian cricket is such that even a player of Shubman Gill's quality can miss out on a major tournament like the T20 World Cup.

"I mean, one, I'm surprised, but two, it just shows the depth of Indian cricket. If you can think that someone as good as Shubman Gill doesn't get picked in a World Cup squad, then it goes to show how many good players they do have," he added.

On the other hand, the BCCI has named Axar Patel as the vice-captain after Gill’s exclusion from the squad. Ponting stated that Axar Patel’s consistent performances with both bat and ball make him an important part of the side.

"I mean actually, Patel's been their go-to man, really, hasn't he? The last few series he's been their pinch hitter at different times. They've batted him up the order at number three. When they've needed that left hand right hand combination he's been the man to go out and try and do it for them and he's obviously ever consistent with his left-arm off spin as well," he concluded.

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India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).

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