Ace India batter Shubman Gill was seen practising in the nets at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali ahead of India's red-ball season. He was wearing India's Test jersey and smacked a delivery from a local bowler for a big hit. Two months back, he was named India's vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is and has a huge responsibility on his shoulders, especially to prove his mettle.
Gill has been training hard ahead of the red-ball season, especially with the Duleep Trophy all set to begin in four days. He will be leading India A but would also need to focus on his performance to ensure he makes the squad for the two Tests against Bangladesh.
Gill was part of the T20I team that whitewashed Sri Lanka at their home and also featured in the ODI series that India lost 0-2. He scored quite a few runs in the T20I series but flopped in the ODIs, which makes him the cynosure of all eyes in the upcoming Duleep Trophy.
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In 2024, Gill has scored 821 runs in 17 matches across formats with two hundreds to his name. His last appearance in Tests was against England in Dharamsala in March, where he batted at three for India. He scored 452 runs in nine innings in that series, at a stunning average of 56.5.
Gill is expected to play a crucial role in India's upcoming 10-Test long season, for which the Duleep Trophy will play a good preparation ground. After two Tests against Bangladesh, India play three more against New Zealand in October, before travelling Down Under for the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will consist of five Tests.
Gill played a big role in India winning the trophy last time they travelled to Australia and his ability to tackle short balls was especially praised.