Fresh Blow To India Ahead Of England Tests: Shubman Gill Set To Skip This Crucial Match - Report
Shubman Gill is currently leading Gujarat Titans who have qualified for the IPL 2025 playoffs.
India's new Test captain Shubman Gill is likely to miss the second warm-up game in Northampton, according to a report. India A are scheduled to play the England Lions in a two-match series, starting May 30, while the second match will get underway on June 6. Gill is currently leading Gujarat Titans (GT) who have qualified for the playoffs. GT will be in action on Friday against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator. The IPL 2025 final will be played on June 3, and if GT qualified for the summit clash, reaching England in two days could be a huge challenge.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the Indian team management has decided to give rest to Gill ahead of the five-match Test series.
"India's new Test captain Shubman Gill is likely to miss the second warm-up game at Northampton, which will be played on June 6. Gill is currently leading Gujarat Titans for IPL which has qualified for the qualifiers. The final is scheduled on June 3, and if his team qualifies, it could be a scramble to reach England in two days' time. So the team management has decided to give him some rest before the 46-day tour starts," the report said.
As Gill prepares for his first series as Test captain, his decision to prioritize strategic preparation over traditional practice matches signals a thoughtful approach to the significant responsibility he now carries. The cricketing world will be watching closely to see how this preparation strategy translates to performance when India takes the field at Headingley on June 20.
This will be India's first bilateral series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month.
Following Kohli's retirement from the longest format of the game, a couple of budding and solidified figures like Sai Sudarshan and Karun Nair have been added to the middle-order.
In the bowling department, right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the unit on English soil. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur are the other fast bowlers in the squad.
(With ANI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Gujarat Titans