“Indian Team Turned Into Mumbai And Punjab Quota”- Allegations Surface For Gambhir To Counter

Shreyas Iyer, Gautam Gambhir [Source: AFP]

India’s tour of the United Kingdom ended on a disappointing note as Gautam Gambhir’s side failed to register a single victory. 

The final blow came in Southampton, where England defeated India by 56 runs in the last T20I. The defeat also saw England replace India as the No. 1 ranked T20I team, adding to the disappointment for the reigning world champions.

Soon after the series ended, criticism started pouring in from former players and fans. One of the biggest talking points was the selection of young all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, with allegations that the Indian team had become a “Mumbai and Punjab Kings quota” side.

Kris Srikkanth Questions Gautam Gambhir’s Team Selection

Former India opener and World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth strongly criticised Gautam Gambhir and the team management over Shedge’s inclusion. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka, Srikkanth questioned why the youngster continued to get opportunities despite not producing notable performances. According to Srikkanth, Shedge’s close connection with Shreyas Iyer might have influenced his selection. 

The 23-year-old has played domestic cricket for Mumbai alongside Iyer and also represented Punjab Kings under Iyer’s captaincy during the last two IPL seasons. Questioning the selection process, Srikkanth said:

"This is the guy they are trying to brand as Hardik Pandya's replacement. He has clearly been picked out of the Mumbai and Punjab Kings quota. He has done nothing substantial in the IPL and rarely even bowls. Scoring the odd 30, even I'll do at my age. He is selected because Shreyas Iyer is the Mumbai and Punjab Kings captain and Ajit Agarkar is the selector from Mumbai."

He further criticised the youngster’s all-round abilities and added:

"He is getting promoted as an all-rounder. The military medium pace that he is bowling, even with my terrible eyesight at 66, I'll smash him. Players like Shedge should be in the shed. He has been named correctly as Shedge as he should be in the shed. You can't be picking players on quota. He can't bat or bowl and is a liability even on the field."

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer Himself Demands India Captaincy Until 2028 World Cup After 4-0 Drubbing

Suryansh Shedge earned maiden call-up

Notably, Suryansh Shedge entered the squad as a replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out of the Ireland and England T20I series due to injury. With Hardik Pandya also unavailable after suffering an injury during IPL 2026, the team management looked towards Shedge as another all-round option. 

Although Shedge impressed in IPL 2026 by scoring 158 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 175.55, his performances for India have not matched those numbers so far.

Suryansh Shedge fails to impress with his performance

It is important to note that he made his international debut against Ireland but managed to score only one run and also struggled with the ball by giving away 25 runs in two wicketless overs while scoring just one run from five deliveries.

Despite that, the team management backed him again in the fifth T20I against England after Washington Sundar was rested. However, the opportunity did not go as planned. Shedge conceded 39 runs in three overs without taking a wicket and scored only seven runs from six balls.

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