Leaving Gill out: did India pivot for the right reasons?

Selections, especially for big tournaments such as the World Cup, are cruel business. For nearly six months now, it seemed India had decided on their combination for the World Cup. They won the Asia Cup and two bilateral series with it, so nobody expected any surprises for the World Cup.

This combination included Shubman Gill as the vice-captain and first-choice opener alongside childhood friend Abhishek Sharma. Rinku Singh was the unfortunate one to miss out for no fault of his own.

At the last minute, however, another very good friend of Gill, Ishan Kishan, has bolted into the squad having led Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali title with table-topping 517 runs at nearly two a ball. Cruelly, it is Gill who ends up making way for Kishan. This move opens the door for the desperately unlucky Rinku, but the collateral damage is Jitesh Sharma, who has not put a foot wrong in the challenging role of a middle-order batter.

Gill had been this close to a home World Cup triumph two years ago. He has had injury troubles this year, but he would have desperately wanted to be part of the squad defending the T20 title at home. Jitesh has done everything asked of him, both with the gloves and the bat. It will be crushing for him. Think of Yashasvi Jaiswal too. Part of the squad in the last T20 World Cup, he lost out to senior batters then, to Gill when they started to build up to the World Cup, and now to Kishan. It is hard to think of an international team that will turn him down if he could switch sides.

By the very nature of it, selection involves breaking hearts, especially in a country like India where you can find a worthy replacement for almost every player bar three-four unique ones. Those making these decisions can't let themselves be occupied with sentimentality. Especially in T20 cricket, you have to be extra vigilant because current form carries more weight here than in other formats where class players get the time to iron out wrinkles in the middle.

There is nothing wrong in pivoting provided you do it for the right reasons. The captain and the chairman of selectors say they decided they needed both their wicketkeepers to bat in the same position so that they don't lose out on Rinku's services. Which is why, they say, Gill missed out, and not because of his lack of big scores in 15 innings he has played as the vice-captain: no fifty and a strike rate of 137.26.

They are clearly being economical with the chronology of events. They wouldn't have felt any such need for Rinku if Gill had replicated his IPL performances: 650 runs at 150.87, while playing within himself because of a shallow batting order around him. The team management's regard for Rinku was apparent when they even tried to turn Samson into a middle-order batter before giving Rinku a game in the Asia Cup.

Kishan's return to form in domestic T20s and his ability to be the back-up wicketkeeper has provided the decision-makers an exit clause, but it is clear Gill has been left out on current form. These are things that have to remain unsaid; the captain himself is going through worse form than Gill.

While it doesn't look pretty on the surface for Suryakumar Yadav in his current form to exclude Gill, he should have the right to do so if he feels it is the right thing to do. For starters, he has more of a proven record than Gill at international level. Then there are few who can do what Suryakumar does. Gill's role has more competition. Samson, for example, was already there in the squad.

It is clear the team management holds Samson in high regard: they created space for him in the middle order before giving Jitesh a chance, and now they are back to Samson at the top at the first sight of trouble.

So, it is a judgement call that the selectors and the team management have made on Gill's current form. In his one innings back, which had many swooning, Samson didn't quite address the concerns around his game. He was great when the field was up and there was pace on the ball - as has been the case forever - but outside the powerplay, he scored 10 off nine. It was Gill's sustained scoring rate outside the powerplay that had put him ahead of Jaiswal and Samson in the first place. That hasn't changed since.

India are still the best T20 side by a long way and start as strong favourites. Or as strong as a side can in a fickle format made fickler by the dewy conditions in night games. That doesn't change with one selection, but they have made a trade-off: they are willing to give up that high ceiling of Gill for whatever extra they get through Rinku over Jitesh. And it can be only one of either Rinku and Jitesh because a sixth bowler - either Shivam Dube or Washington Sundar - is a non-negotiable for them. And this, unlike going big with Gill six months ago, is a decision they can't back out of.