Shubman Gill dropped from T20 World Cup squad: Indian cricket fans react with memes and jokes, ‘Absolute cinema’

Team India, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav and Head Coach, has stunned everyone by dropping Shubman Gill from the T20 squad for the 2026 World Cup. Numerous Indian cricket fans are shocked and surprised for multiple reasons.

Many of them thought Shubman Gill should have been dropped due to his poor form. At the same time, they also believed Gambhir’s “favourite” would be picked anyway.

The selectors have brought back Ishan Kishan as the backup wicketkeeper as Sanju Samson now seems a sure pick for the opening slot. Jitesh Sharma, despite his impressive performances of late, has been dropped from the squad.

Ahead of the selection meeting, several fans campaigned for Hardik Pandya to return as vice-captain. The selectors did not go for that change. Hardik remains a major part of the team without an official leadership role.

Axar Patel returns as India’s new vice-captain for the tournament. Many believe that’s justice for the all-rounder. Many fans believe he was unfairly removed from the position to accommodate Gill.

Many agreed that there is no doubt about Shubman Gill's quality as a player. However, his recent form made the drop all the more obvious.

"Obviously, he (Gill) has been short of runs. And, since he wasn't picked, we needed a vice-captain," Agarkar said at the press conference while justifying Axar's selection as Surya's deputy.

"Shubman, we know what a quality player he is, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment. [He is] unfortunate to have missed out in the last World Cup as well because we went with a different combination. But, it's the combinations more than anything else...Someone has to miss out when you pick 15. Unfortunately, it's Gill at this point," he added.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav, however, said that the selection was not related to Shubman Gill's recent performance.

“It’s not about Gill’s form. We wanted to have a keeper at the top,” he said.