India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, scheduled to begin on Thursday at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru, as he continues to recover from illness at his Chandigarh home.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, Gill, who was recently recalled to India’s T20I side ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup next month, recently underwent a medical evaluation by team physiotherapists, with the health report submitted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). In Gill’s absence, vice-captain Ankit Kumar is expected to take over leadership duties. Shubham Rohilla was named as a replacement for Gill at the time of announcing the squad.
Even if the 25-year-old recovers and prepares to take part in the tournament, he won’t be available for the entirety of the Duleep Trophy, as he was due to leave for national duty in the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE. The Duleep Trophy runs from August 28 to September 15, and at best, he could have been available only for the opening game. North Zone are slated to face East
Zone in their quarterfinal at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru.
Earlier this month, Gill returned from a highly successful tour of England where he scored 754 runs in five Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy which prompted the national selectors to pick him in the India Twenty20 squad for the Asia Cup. In fact, he was appointed vice-captain for the Asia Cup.
Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, both named in the Asia Cup squad, will inevitably leave the zonal side after the first game for national duty. Gurnoor Brar and Anuj Thakral were named as the respective replacements for the two pacers, should North Zone proceed beyond the first match, which is a knockout game.