“It was a big decision to hold back Gill”

Former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Mohammad Kaif has praised the selectors for holding back Shubman Gill and bringing Ishan Kishan into the squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Kaif’s remark came following India’s game against Namibia, played on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Put into bat, the hosts finished at 209/9 in their 20 overs, with Ishan top-scoring with 61 off 24 balls. In response, Namibia were bowled out for just 116 in 18.2 overs, handing India a massive 93-run victory.

On Friday, February 13, during a discussion on his live session on YouTube, Kaif opined that Ishan’s inclusion for the marquee event happened at the last moment and credited the selectors for making the big decision to drop Gill. He also praised the southpaw’s current form, saying:

“Ishan Kishan, of course, faced a lot of difficulties. He kept scoring consistently in domestic cricket, and his comeback into the World Cup squad happened at the last moment. He was not really in the line initially, as many other players were ahead of him. I would say it was a big decision by the selectors to hold back Gill and bring in Ishan Kishan. What bigger decision could there be? So, thumbs up for it and thumbs up for Ishan’s form.”

Since his return to the side, Ishan Kishan has played six games, scoring 296 runs at an average of 49.33 and a strike rate of 222.56, including two fifties and one century.

“Praise as much as you want” – Mohammad Kaif on star India all-rounder

During the same session, Mohammad Kaif noted that from the Namibia game, while Ishan Kishan was one positive, another standout was Hardik Pandya, who came in at No. 5, scored 52 off 28 balls, and picked up a couple of wickets. He said:

“I also think there were positive signs in the last match. There was a middle-order collapse, but Hardik Pandya came in and steadied the innings. Two big positives were Ishan Kishan’s aggressive start and Hardik Pandya’s match-winning knock. You can praise Hardik Pandya as much as you want. He came in at No. 5, and we do not have many right-handed batters in the playing XI, as most are left-handers. So his arrival and playing a match-winning innings was truly commendable.”

The team will next return to action on Sunday, February 15, against Pakistan in Colombo.