Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif did not mince words as he criticised the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee over what he termed poor planning for the T20 World Cup 2026. Kaif was particularly unhappy with the selectors’ last-minute abandonment of their ‘project Shubman Gill’, a move he believes exposed a lack of clarity and ultimately came at the cost of Axar Patel, who had been reinstated as the team’s vice-captain for the tournament.
Shubman Gill was shockingly left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad when the BCCI announced the 15-member list on Saturday, following a worrying run of form since his return to the format in September. Gill featured in every T20I during that period but managed only 291 runs without registering a single half-century.
Despite being backed with a long rope by the selectors and team management, patience eventually wore thin after Gill returned scores of 4, 0 and a run-a-ball 28 in the recently concluded home T20I series against South Africa.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif lashed out at the selection committee over what he termed poor planning around Gill’s inclusion. The former India cricketer argued that bringing the 25-year-old back into the T20I setup was unnecessary, especially with India having stronger options better suited to the format.
“They knew there were better players, I am talking about the T20 format. Just this one. There were better players than Gill. So it was the mistake of the selectors. They have made a mistake and Indian cricket has gone behind. For two to three months, you could have invested in Jaiswal, Samson, and Jitesh,” he said.
Kaif also pointed to the uncertainty surrounding Axar as another example of poor planning. The all-rounder was named India’s T20I vice-captain earlier this year, but lost the role when Gill returned to the format in September as part of the BCCI’s broader leadership roadmap. Gill was subsequently appointed as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy.
With Gill now dropped, Axar has been reinstated as vice-captain, a move that Kaif argued came at a cost. According to him, the constant chopping and changing meant Axar lost crucial months that could have been used to develop and sharpen his leadership skills under Suryakumar in the lead-up to the World Cup.
“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.
Kaif concluded by saying that while dropping Gill was the right decision, it came far too late, exposing what he described as “zero planning” from the selectors. He argued that persisting with an underprepared player not only forced the committee into a corner but also cost Indian cricket valuable time and denied opportunities to more deserving options who were ready to deliver at the international level.
“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. 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.”