India, Dec. 24 -- Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif did not mince words as he criticised the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee over what he termed poor planning for the T20 World Cup 2026. Kaif was particularly unhappy with the selectors' last-minute abandonment of their 'project Shubman Gill', a move he believes exposed a lack of clarity and ultimately came at the cost of Axar Patel, who had been reinstated as the team's vice-captain for the tournament.

Shubman Gill was shockingly left out of India's T20 World Cup squad when the BCCI announced the 15-member list on Saturday, following a worrying run of form since his return to the format in September. Gill featured in every T20I during that period but managed only 291 runs without...