NEW DELHI: With several exciting T20 talents emerging, team selection has become a major headache for the selectors. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Shubman Gillwho is in ominous form in IPL 2026, deserves a place in India’s T20I setup. However, with youngsters like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya coming through, along with established names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma And experienced Sanju Samson already in contention, the competition has become intense.“What I say is difficult, friend. If I Ajit Agarkar Hota na, during selection I picked up the phone and went to Maldives. The phone will not be lifted,” he said.Shubman lost his place in India’s T20I setup ahead of the home series against New Zealand national cricket team, which preceded the 2026 T20 World Cup.However, India’s Test and ODI captain responded in style with a sensational IPL 2026 campaign. Gill has scored 616 runs in 13 matches at an average of 47.38 and a strike rate of 161.68, including six half-centuries. He has also led Gujarat Titans into the playoffs.“He is a good player. But tell me – a small kid is batting at a strike rate of 220, he is special, maybe even more special. Sanju Samson opened such strong innings in the T20 World Cup, you cannot ignore him. Abhishek Sharma is also playing attacking cricket consistently, he is also performing very well for SRH. [He is obviously a very good player. But you tell me — when a young kid is batting at a strike rate of 220, that is something special, maybe even more special. Sanju Samson played some outstanding knocks in the T20 World Cup; you simply cannot ignore him. Abhishek Sharma is also playing consistently attacking cricket and performing brilliantly for Sunrisers Hyderabad],” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.“There is unbelievable talent in India at this time. Hurt happens naturally, but I am happy that the players are converting their hurt into performances. Exactly. Vaibhav is players like Suryavanshi, youngsters like Priyansh, high-intent openers. And see, we forget the name of KL Rahul sometimes. Everyone is pushing each other – high-intent cricket has to be played and runs have to be scored too. This is an amazing phase for Indian cricket. I mean no one is less than anyone else [India has unbelievable talent at the moment. Naturally, players feel hurt at times, but what makes me happy is that they are converting that hurt into performances. There are players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, youngsters like Priyansh, and several high-intent openers. And sometimes we even forget to mention KL Rahul. Everyone is pushing each other — to play high-intent cricket and still keep scoring runs. This is an amazing phase for Indian cricket. No one is inferior to anyone here],” he added.Shubman, who played his last T20I in 2025 against South Africa national cricket team in Dharamsala, has featured in 36 T20Is and scored 869 runs at an average of 28.03 and a strike rate of 138.59, including one century and three fifties.
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“The more potential Shubman Gill has, he can do even better. If you look at any T20 national team in the world, Shubman Gill’s name will definitely be there. The talent pool of Indian cricket is so strong that the competition seems both unfortunate and fortunate. Indian cricket is at another level. [Shubman Gill has immense potential, and he can become even better. You can pick any T20 national team in the world and Shubman Gill’s name will feature there. India’s talent pool is so strong that the competition feels unfortunate as well as fortunate at the same time. Indian cricket is operating at another level],” he said.Ashwin also said that the way Virat Kohli is still performing, he would have remained part of the T20I setup had he not retired from the format after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.“People are saying that Virat Kohli doesn’t deserve it? He has done so much for Indian cricket. If he had not retired, he would have been in the current setup even today. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s IPL may not have been the same as last year, but his name is still in discussion for the T20 opening. [People ask whether Virat Kohli deserves a place or not. Look at what he has done for Indian cricket. Had he not retired, he would still have been part of the current setup. Yashasvi Jaiswal may not have had the same IPL season as last year, but his name still comes up whenever there is a discussion about T20 opening options]Ashwin said.
