Former England player Monty Panesar said that Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has sent a strong message by leaving star India opener Shubman Gill out of the Indian squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup as well. He believed that the decision shows that no player, regardless of stature, is
guaranteed selection if they are not performing well.
During an interview with KADAK on Monday, December 22, Panesar said: “Gautam Gambhir has also sent a message that no matter how big a player you are, if your form is not good, I am not afraid, I will drop you. I think that is a good message, because all the big players in India will think about it, that it should not be that next time it is our turn. You know, maybe he could even drop Suryakumar Yadav. So it is a good message.”
READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli
“And I had been saying this earlier as well that Gautam Gambhir will take the right decision, the right decision for the team. And if he feels that whether you are a big player or a small player, if you are not in good form, he will not select you. I had a bit of a doubt earlier too that maybe Shubman Gill’s form has not been good. And Gautam Gambhir is the kind of leader who is not afraid; he will take big decisions. He has made a big decision now, and I think it is the right one,” he added.
“When you look at Ishan Kishan’s form, you know in T20, in the SMAT, he was the leading run scorer, his form is good. Ajit Agarkar had also said the same thing, that we will select those players who perform well in domestic cricket. You know, if you are scoring the most runs, you have to be rewarded. Players should have hope that if I am playing domestic cricket, scoring runs, taking wickets, I will get my place to play for India. So I think it is a good decision to play Ishan Kishan,” he again shared.
Meanwhile, Monty Panesar also added that the BCCI made the right decision in appointing Gautam Gambhir as India’s coach and stated that his team has performed well in the white-ball format as well.
“So maybe some people think there is an agenda, like why has Gautam Gambhir been pushed so far ahead. But look at his record in the IPL. How many trophies he has won, first as a captain and then also as a coach. So I think the BCCI has taken the right decision. Gautam Gambhir is a good coach. He does well in T20s and ODIs,” he said.
“His weakest format is Test cricket, in the Ranji Trophy he has not coached much, so he is still gaining experience there. Maybe this is why he wants to become a better Test cricket coach. He can also take advice from previous coaches like Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri, who know very well how to make a team win in Test cricket,” Monty Panesar concluded.
