Shubman Gill Likely to Miss Duleep Trophy Due to Illness

Shubman Gill Likely to Miss Duleep Trophy Due to Illness

India's Test captain Shubman Gill is expected to miss the upcoming Duleep Trophy due to illness, sources close to the player have confirmed. Gill, who was appointed captain of the North Zone team, is currently resting at home in Chandigarh.

The inter-zonal tournament is scheduled to begin on August 28 at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. However, even if Gill had been available, his participation would have been limited to North Zone’s opening match against East Zone, as he is due to join the national team for the Asia Cup, starting September 9 in the UAE.

According to sources, Gill was recently examined by BCCI physios who submitted a health status report to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about 24 hours ago. As of Friday (August 22), the North Zone associations had not received formal communication regarding his unavailability, but the selection committee had been preparing for this possibility in recent days.

In anticipation of Gill’s absence, Shubham Rohilla was named as a replacement at the time of the squad announcement. With Gill ruled out, Ankit Kumar, originally named vice-captain, will now lead the side in the Duleep Trophy.

The North Zone will also lose Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, both of whom are part of India's Asia Cup squad. If the team progresses beyond the opening knockout match, Gurnoor Brar and Anuj Thakral will replace them.

Gill recently returned from a stellar tour of England, where he amassed 754 runs in five Tests during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which helped cement his spot in the T20 squad for the Asia Cup. He was also named vice-captain for the tournament.

The North Zone selection committee comprises Chetan Sharma (Haryana), Nikhil Chopra (Delhi), Amit Uniyal (Chandigarh), Mithun Minhas (J&K and convenor), Raj Kumar (Services), and Mukesh Kumar (Himachal Pradesh).

The Duleep Trophy will run from August 28 to September 15, and North Zone’s opening clash against East Zone will be crucial as it is a knockout fixture.