Gill at peace with T20 World Cup snub; calls for better Test preparation

Shubman Gill has made peace with the selectors' decision to leave him out of the Twenty20 World Cup 2026. Over time, he has learnt to respect the selectors' judgment and has adopted a more philosophical outlook on the developments.

"I think being an athlete, being a sportsperson, is all about staying in the present. The more present you are when you're on the field, doing your primary skill as a batsman or a bowler, the less you think about what might happen or what has already happened. That gives you a better chance of succeeding," the India skipper remarked.

"For me, the approach remains the same. The more I focus on what I need to do right now - what is important in this moment and what is required at this very instant - the more I can stay in the present. That makes life simpler, and when life is simpler, it becomes a more peaceful and happier space to live in."

Since his international debut in 2019, three T20 World Cups have gone by, but Gill has not been part of any of them. He will also not feature in the fourth, starting in less than a month.

"There are so many things that you want to do when you set out there. It's definitely very frustrating. Obviously, as a player, you have a belief that if you play in the World Cup, you will win it for your team and for your country. Having said that, I respect the selectors' decision, and I wish the T20 team all the very best. I really, really hope that they win the World Cup for us."

Gill is also the captain of the Test side, and results have not been very impressive of late. India recently lost a home Test series to South Africa and to New Zealand not too long ago. The skipper has suggested that there is a need for a looser schedule for the Indian team so that they can prepare properly for a Test series.

"Maybe it would help to have a slightly looser calendar," Gill said. "I don't think there was a time in 2016, 2017, or 2018 when, after arriving from another country, you were playing a match on the fourth day. Perhaps it's easier to play on the 10th day or even the 12th day. That gives the players a bit of breathing space and also allows time to prepare properly and feel confident heading into the next series.

"If you look at the last two Test series we played, we didn't have enough time to prepare. It's not easy playing in India and then turning around to play another match in a different country within four days, especially on long tours.

"Even if we had won the series against South Africa, I don't think it would have made much difference because we know that to win Test matches all over the world, we need to prepare properly. Preparation, for me, is extremely important, and I felt we didn't have sufficient time when we returned from Australia or even after the Asia Cup before the West Indies series.

"I believe it's important to have at least some preparation time, especially when switching from white-ball cricket to red-ball cricket. That was something I was very keen on, and it's something we'll keep in mind and act on so that we can prepare better before the start of any red-ball series."