‘Loss for Axar Patel’: Kaif blames selectors for creating ‘Shubman Gill’ problem in T20Is
Shubman Gill was on top of the world, riding high on a dream England tour and leadership promotions, including the T20I vice-captaincy. He took the reins of ODI and Tests from Rohit Sharma. He seemed like the present and a set future of Indian cricket, with the selection committee backing him all the way. Fast forward three months, and things have taken a drastic U-turn, with Gill getting dropped from the T20 World Cup 2026 side altogether.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes the real failure lies with the selectors. Speaking after Gill’s omission from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, Kaif said the BCCI’s handling of the situation shows poor planning, and that the biggest collateral damage of this confusion was the loss of leadership time for Axar Patel.
Project Shubman Gill failure
Before the Asia Cup earlier this year, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had spoken confidently about Gill’s return to T20Is. Both he and captain Suryakumar Yadav said that Gill deserved to play since he was in the plans from Day 1. He was made the vice-captain as well, entrusting Gill to take the leadership role when Suryakumar moves forward post T20 World Cup 2026. However, the BCCI planted an axe on their own foot by doing it. Everyone knew that either Sanju Samson or even Yashasvi Jaiswal, who wasn’t considered at all, better suit India’s current T20I template than Gill.
But T20 cricket does not wait for anyone to settle. Gill struggled immediately. No half-centuries in 15 innings. Average stuck at 24.25. Strike rate barely touching 137. He looked caught between roles, unable to match Abhishek Sharma’s tempo, and never truly comfortable in the structure India already had. Yet he kept playing. Because once you attach leadership tags, you don’t drop players easily. That is where Kaif feels the selectors misread the room.
“You carried Gill till the very end and then dropped him. I feel it is the right call. It came late, but it was right. The planning is zero. There is no planning. It has been a waste of time in the name of planning. You backed that player who is not ready now. There were better players than him who should have played. It was your mistake as selectors. Now you had no other choice but to remove him. This has happened very rarely,” Kaif said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“There was no option left as he did not score in 17-18 innings, and how many more chances would you give him? The pressure was increasing. No one wanted to drop him, but I feel it has been a waste of time for Indian cricket and those players who should have gotten the opportunity.”
Why did Axar Patel pay a price?
The collateral damage of this experiment, according to Kaif, was Axar Patel. Axar was vice-captain earlier this year during England’s five-match series against India. When Gill returned before the Asia Cup 2025, that role was taken away and handed to him. Now, with Gill gone, Axar is back as deputy again. In between, months of leadership grooming were lost.
Kaif also pointed out an hypothetical situation where if Suryakumar gets injured in between the tournament, Axar would’ve been better equipped as a leader had he been his deputy all this time.
“It is a loss for Axar Patel who returns as vice-captain and for the Indian team as well. The squad is still solid and there is no doubt. But if Axar had continued as vice-captain, he would have been a part of this team meeting, and he would have gotten time to work on his leadership. Let’s assume Surya gets injured, then if Axar had had those two to three months as vice-captain, he would know more about his team and the players. If he has to captain, he would have been better prepared, so that opportunity was taken away from him,” remarked Kaif.
The post ‘Loss for Axar Patel’: Kaif blames selectors for creating ‘Shubman Gill’ problem in T20Is appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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