Yuvraj Singh lambasts Gautam Gambhir‑led Indian management [Source: AFP]

Yuvraj Singh has issued a scathing critique of the Indian team management, whose head coach is Gautam Gambhir, over what Yuvraj Singh describes as the mistreatment of Shubman Gill. It is worth noting that Shubman Gill was a regular member of Team India’s T20I setup, as an opener no less, during the latter half of 2025.

However, lack of match‑winning impact prompted the Indian selectors and the team management to drop the right‑handed batter from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 plans. The committee recalled blistering wicket‑keeper‑batter Sanju Samson as opener, who justified his return with a ‘Player of the Tournament’ winning performance.

Yuvraj Singh thrashes Gautam Gambhir for Shubman Gill

Yuvraj Singh, who has been labelled as India’s best white‑ball player by Gautam Gambhir, has come to the defence of his apprentice Shubman Gill for being excluded from Team India squad just before the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

While speaking with Vikrant Gupta on Sports Tak, the former Indian all‑rounder said that the selectors were forced to make a “tough call” ahead of the tournament owing to Shubman Gill’s underwhelming returns.

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Yuvraj Singh said, “If you bring a player to T20I team and let him play for the whole year, then at the last moment you drop him from the T20 World Cup squad because of lack of performances, that’s a tough call.”

However, Yuvraj Singh also added that the Gautam Gambhir‑led Indian team management and the selectors should not have excluded Shubman Gill because of a few failures. Gautam Gambhir’s former national teammate even lamented Shubman Gill’s luck, by recalling an innings Shubman Gill played in Australia in a washout game late last year.

Yuvraj Singh added, “You cannot assess T20 performance because of failures in a few matches. In a match against Australia, Shubman Gill was batting well before rains halted play. If that match went on and Shubman Gill had scored a half‑century, the situation would have been different today. Shubman Gill is a kind of player who has the ability of eventually coming up clutch for Team India.”

Why did Gautam Gambhir replace Shubman Gill with Sanju Samson?

Shubman Gill played 15 T20I matches for Team India in the year 2025, but managed to aggregate just 291 runs at a below‑par average of 24.25.

The cricketer even failed to register a single half‑century throughout the year, and was dropped from the side following India’s home series against South Africa in December.

Shubman Gill’s repeated failures prompted the Gautam Gambhir‑led Indian team management to fast‑track Sanju Samson back as opening batter, mere weeks prior to the launch of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. In five home matches against New Zealand, Sanju Samson carted just 46 runs at a dismal average of 9.20.

However, the attacking wicket‑keeper‑batter came up clutch for India at the big stage, hammering down 321 runs in just five innings of the T20 World Cup to be adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament’.

Samson’s redemption vindicates Gautam Gambhir’s bold selection call

While Yuvraj Singh’s concerns over Shubman Gill’s exclusion highlight the human side of selection calls, Sanju Samson’s match‑winning exploits ultimately validated the team management’s high‑stakes decision. In a sport where outcomes often shape narratives, Gautam Gambhir’s gamble paid off in emphatic fashion.

Both Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson are currently representing the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings franchises respectively in the ongoing IPL 2026 season.

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