‘Even Virat-Rohit were not spared’ – Ex-India star feels Shubman Gill should be dropped from T20I team

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has opined that each player should be provided with equal opportunities, and that there should not be any preferential treatment given to any particular player if they have not been in form for a string of matches. Kaif’s comments were specifically directed towards Shubman Gill after the India batter continued his underwhelming run of form in T20Is.

Kaif gave an example of how Karun Nair made a comeback during the England tour, but was dropped after a substandard outing across the series. The former India batter has said that the Indian team should stick to using a similar formula for Shubman Gill as well, as the T20I vice-captain has been far from showing his best from the last few series.

“When Karun Nair was dropped after the England tour even though he had scored a fifty in his last innings, it was said that the time has gone where one player would be backed for too long, or given the extra 3-4 innings, because there are so many good players waiting. When you have applied such a formula, it should be valid for everyone. If you want to have a successful reign, you have to set an example,” shared Kaif in a video on YouTube channel.

Kaif, the cricketer-turned-commentator, further noted that on many occasions, some action is necessary to be taken against certain players to lay down a marker which others can follow. He also recounted how even the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had to go through phases of getting neglected from the Test team and criticised for their poor form.

“Even though the heart is not accepting it that Gill, despite being such a good player, is not scoring runs, everyone is saying that he will make a comeback. But sometimes, you have to sacrifice to set an example and win over the fans. Whether it be Gill, Surya. Look, even Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were not spared, look at them, they took retirement,” he added.

Gill has struck at only 127.65 in his last 10 T20I innings for India. He has not been at his absolute best, since making a comeback to the T20I squad with the 2025 Asia Cup. The Punjab-born had replaced Sanju Samson as the preferred opener alongside Abhishek Sharma, but the runs haven’t reflected the confidence shown by selector Ajit Agarkar in Gill’s capabilities.

India lead the ongoing T20I series with a 2-1 margin. After the fourth and fifth T20Is get done with, they will play New Zealand in an eight-match white-ball series next year in a bid to finetune their preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026. It will be interesting to see how Gill bats going forward, as only time will tell his fate in the white-ball side.