Why is Shashank Singh not in consideration for Indian T20I team?

Shashank Singh has never played a match for India.

India are set to clash with Ireland in a T20I series. Both sides will lock horns in two T20I matches, which will be played on June 26 and 28 at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.

Prince Yadav and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are two players who have earned a national call-up and are expected to make their T20I debut. Moreover, players like captain Shreyas Iyer and Prasidh Krishna are making a comeback to the shortest format after two years.

Indian selectors usually give opportunities to new players and try out different combinations against weaker teams like Ireland. Players who impressed in IPL 2026 have been given preference, while a few others who struggled to perform have been dropped.

Uncapped player Shashank Singh has been overlooked for T20Is for the last two years despite his impressive show in the Indian Premier League. He first grabbed the limelight with his aggressive batting style as a finisher for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.

Under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, PBKS finished as runners-up in the tournament and reached the playoffs after 10 seasons, with Shashank playing a crucial role in their campaign.

3 reasons why Shashank Singh won’t get a chance in T20Is

3. Age factor

Unarguably, a player needs to make his international debut before the age of 30 to be able to cement his place in the national team. Very few players have made their international debut after the age of 30 and achieved major success.

Shashank has already turned 34 and will turn 35 this November. He has not played any international games so far. Due to the fast nature of the game, selectors often give young players a chance in the T20I team.

Moreover, the T20I format is often looked upon as the first platform for selectors to test a youngster. A player’s age often becomes a big reason for his retirement or ouster from the national team. In Shashank’s case, his age is a major hurdle.

2. Too many finishers in the T20I team

Shashank is a lower-middle-order batsman known for the role of a finisher in the playing XI. With the Punjab Kings, his job has been to score runs at a high strike rate and smash as many runs as possible in the death overs.

Currently, India have several finishers in their squad. Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Axar Patel are a few lower-order batsmen who have played in the T20Is in recent times.

Therefore, finishers are not in high demand at the moment, which can be termed as another hurdle for Shashank’s entry into the T20I team.

1. Not a regular bowling option

Although Shashank is an effective batsman in the lower order, he is not an impeccable bowler. He can bowl medium pace, but he is not an effective seam-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya and Nitish Reddy. He has a good record with his bowling in domestic cricket, but can be expensive at the international level.

At the moment, the Indian management needs a proper bowling all-rounder in the T20I team. In the past, Abhishek Sharma has been preferred over others as an opener due to his ability to bowl.

Shivam Dube is another example; he has retained his place in the T20I team over the past few years thanks to his bowling. He also impressed with his bowling in the 2025 Asia Cup. Similarly, management would prefer a lower-order batsman who can add value with his bowling.

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