Will Shubman Gill play the Duleep Trophy or will he not, that is the question. The tournament starts on Thursday, with North Zone playing their opener against East Zone. The teams have already reached Bengaluru. And the North Zone squad has started preparations for the first game, assuming that their captain would be available.
“If Shubman is not available, he would inform the selectors and/or the BCCI,” a member of the North Zone coaching staff told RevSportz on condition of anonymity. “We haven’t heard anything from them, or Shubman, as yet, and accordingly, we are expecting him to join the squad today, along with Harshit Rana. Beyond this, I can’t say anything. If he isn’t available, then I think we will be informed.”
Gill, the India Test captain, was appointed North Zone skipper and he was keen to play the Duleep Trophy, despite coming back from a demanding England tour, to set the right example. But last week, he had viral fever and underwent blood tests. The test reports are with the BCCI’s medical team and as this website earlier reported, his participation in the Duleep Trophy was subject to the clearance from them. There have been several reports on Gill’s unavailability for the inaugural domestic tournament of the season. Interestingly, no clear communication has reached the North Zone management yet. If Gill doesn’t turn up, then Ankit Kumar, the vice-captain, will lead the side.
Gill is India’s vice-captain at the Asia Cup, and with the T20 event starting on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates, he was in any case supposed to play only the first game of the Duleep Trophy. And the 25-year-old was willing to follow the BCCI directive that has asked India players to play domestic cricket when they aren’t on national duty. Sunil Gavaskar praised Gill’s commitment to domestic cricket, as he wrote in his Sportstar column: “By being available (for the Duleep Trophy), the Indian skipper is sending the right signal to the other members of the team.”
Some contracted players will be at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence towards the end of this month to undergo pre-season fitness tests. But that’s meant for those who aren’t playing in the Duleep Trophy. Meanwhile, confirmation on whether Gill is available or not for the opener would help the North Zone management.
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