T20 World Cup 2026: Ajit Agarkar reveals the reason behind Ishan Kishan’s last-minute inclusion

Indian Men’s Senior Selection Committee chairman Ajit Agarkar has revealed the reason behind Ishan Kishan’s inclusion in the 15-man T20 World Cup squad with Jitesh Sharma being axed at the last moment. 

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Speaking at the press conference after revealing India’s World Cup squad, Agarkar has disclosed that Ishan Kishan bats at the top-order and has been in good form, adding it was unfortunate to see Shubman Gill out of the squad due to inconsistent form. 

“We are looking at combinations. Our thought was to have another keeper. Gill is a quality player, unfortunate to miss out, but it is the combination we want. Ishan bats at the top, he has been in good form, and played before for India,” Ajit Agarkar told the reporters.

“He wasn't there because Jurel and Pant were ahead. Sanju is at the top. Ishan at the top. That is the combination we are looking at right now. We felt he is the best back up keeper at this point,” he added.

It’s important to note that Kishan made it to the Indian squad at the last minute, thanks to his exceptional performances in the just concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 campaign, in which he scored 517 runs from 10 games at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 197.32.

On the other hand, Shubman Gill has played a total of 15 T20Is in the ongoing calendar year, scoring only 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26.with the highest score of 47. In Gill’s absence, Axar Patel will act as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy. 

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

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