Shubman Gill has been appointed the captain of the North Zone for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. He was only available for one game for the team after being named in the Asia Cup squad. However, Gill is likely to skip even that clash.
India Test skipper Shubman Gill is likely to skip playing in the upcoming Duleep Trophy, reportedly due to illness. India’s 2025-26 domestic season is set to get underway with the Duleep Trophy, but the big star attraction of the tournament looks set to miss. Gill was named the captain of the North Zone by the selection panel comprisingย Chetan Sharma (Haryana), Nikhil Chopra (Delhi), Amit Uniyal (Chandigarh), Mithun Minhas (J&K and convenor), Raj Kumar (Services) and Mukesh Kumar (Himachal Pradesh).
The selection committee has been anticipating the possibility of Gill’s absence from the Duleep Trophy over the last few days, especially after he was picked in India’s Asia Cup squad as vice-captain. However, as of August 22, there was no official communication regarding the same. But according to a report in Cricbuzz, the physios recently examined the 25-year-old and submitted the health status report to the BCCI 24 hours ago. Gill is currently in Chandigarh, resting at home after leading India in the five-match Test series in England that ending in 2-2.
Gill would’ve only played one match in Duleep Trophy
Meanwhile, after being selected in the Asia Cup, Gill would have been available only for one game against the East Zone at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) ground in Bengaluru that is scheduled to be played from August 28 to August 31. An official update on Gill’s availability is expected within the next two days, as only five days are left for the clash.
Who will lead North Zone in Shubman Gill’s absence?
The North Zone selectors had appointed Ankit Kumar the vice-captain of the team while announcing the squad and he will take over the leadership duties in Gill’s absence. At the same time, Shubham Rohilla will replace Gill in the squad as the selectors had already made that arrangement anticipating the latter’s selection in the Asia Cup squad. Moreover, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana of North Zone are also in India’s Asia Cup squad and they will also leave after the first match.
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