The selection committee has asked Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill to prioritize red ball and 50-over cricket during the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle despite a stellar 2026 IPL, so that he remains fresh for the bigger tasks ahead.

on saturday, T20 squads announced for UK Tour and Asian Games And the stylish Indian Test captain was not considered as he has two major ICC assignments in a chalk-a-block calendar.

Gill scored 732 runs at a healthy strike-rate of over 163 in the recently concluded IPL – his best in the season – but with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the team, it is difficult to place another quality top-order batsman.

“The selectors are concerned that there is no burn-out issue with Gill.

With the kind of calendar that the Indian cricket team has for the next 18 months, it is almost impossible to stay fresh if one plays three formats.

“Gill is scheduled to lead India in nine WTC Tests and also play around 35 ODIs before the start of the 2027 World Cup,” a BCCI source with knowledge of the development told PTI.

“The communication has been clear that he needs to be fit for these two ICC assignments. He will also be playing the IPL where he will lead Gujarat Titans,” the source said.

Although Gill is not in the T20 plans at the moment, he is expected to be back in action before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics or the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

He said, “There is still a lot of time left for the two major T20 events in 2028. For Gill, the focus is on the immediate future. Two years from now, no one knows which player will be in what kind of form and fitness. So it is time till the 2027 ODI World Cup.”

– ends