India confirmed their squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup on Saturday, in the presence of chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav. The biggest headline was the surprising exclusion of Shubman Gill, who recently served as India’s vice-captain in the format. His disappointing run in the South Africa series, where he scored only 32 runs in three matches, appears to have led to his exclusion. On the other hand, the inclusion of Ishan Kishan marked a notable return, quickly becoming one of the most discussed selections from the announcement.

A few hours after the squad announcement, Gautam Gambhir arrived at the Delhi airport and was immediately surrounded by journalists. He faced a barrage of queries to selection calls, especially Gill’s absence, but the Indian head coach refused to entertain any of them and walked away without commenting.

A viral clip on social media shows Gautam Gambhir walking out of the Delhi airport, choosing not to entertain any media queries as he briskly moved towards his car and left the premises.

Even though Shubman Gill has been one of India’s most reliable performers in Tests and ODIs, he hasn’t quite cemented his place in T20Is. His role at the top has remained uncertain, especially with India now favouring explosive powerplay batting.

With India pushing for greater powerplay impact, Gill’s inability to accelerate early and the rise of harder-hitting alternatives may have worked against him. His scores of 4, 0 and 28 in the South Africa T20Is didn’t inspire confidence.

“Shubman Gill is currently out of form with the bat, and he also missed the previous World Cup,” Ajit Agarkar said during the press briefing.