Shubman Gill’s absence from India’s latest squad has surprised many, not least because the Test and ODI captain has just had an outstanding IPL. Leading Gujarat Titans, he scored 732 runs at a strike rate of 163.02, with a century and six fifties.
A deliberate workload strategy
According to a BCCI source quoted by Hindustan Times, the decision belongs to a wider plan to keep Gill fresh for the biggest assignments, above all the 2027 ODI World Cup, where he is expected to hold a central leadership role. The selectors are said to be wary of burnout, and the message passed to Gill is that he must be fit for two ICC events. He will also continue to play the IPL, where he captains Gujarat Titans.
India are scheduled to play 35 ODIs before the World Cup, which makes managing workloads a priority.
Injury history and the longer view
Gill’s recent fitness record appears to have played a part. He suffered neck spasms during the first Test against South Africa in November 2025, which ruled him out of the second Test and the ODI series that followed.
The source said there is plenty of time before the two major T20 events in 2028, and that for Gill the focus is on the near future. Nobody can know a player’s form or fitness two years ahead, the source said, so the plan runs up to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Gill has meanwhile reinforced his Test standing with a fluent 126 in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. It was his 11th Test century and his sixth as captain.
