Former India captain Kris Srikkanth admitted that he was surprised to know about Shubman’s snub.
Last week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 9. One of the notable absentees from the side was Shubman Gill, who had been serving as India’s vice-captain in the shortest format since September.
However, he lauded chief selector Ajit Agarkar for the move, saying that the Punjab batter had been struggling in T20I cricket and his strike rate is nowhere near as good as his contemporaries, like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan, who made his comeback to the side after a phenomenal Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign.
“I was very shocked. This is a superb selection. I didn’t expect they would drop Shubman Gill. They made him the vice-captain. Even during the tour of Australia, he was the vice-captain. Yes, Rinku Singh was in the team and Ishan Kishan wasn’t even in the radar. But, fantastic selection, I should say. Well done Ajit Agarkar and Team India selection team!” Srikkanth said on his YouTube show.
“In one-day cricket, he (Gill) is great. In Tests, he scored truckloads in England. But, in T20Is, he has been struggling. His strike rate is nothing compared to Ishan Kishan or anybody else. That’s where Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson take over. Abhishek is a certainty, the No. 1 in the world. Sanju and Ishan add wicketkeeper-opening batter combination,” Srikkanth added.
Ishan Kishan’s pick is a fantastic selection: Kris Srikkanth
Srikkanth was pleased to see Kishan back in the mix. The left-handed batter finished as the highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and slammed a century in the final against Haryana to help Jharkhand clinch the title.
Ishan Kishan’s pick is a fantastic selection. He scored runs in domestic cricket and it means selectors are considering performances in domestic cricket. By sheer value of scores and performances, he has gotten back into the side. He didn’t just score runs for himself, he ensured his team was winning. Well done, Ishan, very happy for you. Don’t forget, he vanished after scoring a double century (in ODIs). He was in the World Cup team,” Srikkanth stated.
India
