Shubman Gill, India’s opener in white-ball cricket, might miss the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Bangladesh will arrive in India on Sunday for a tour comprising of two Tests and three T20Is.
Shubman Gill has played 21 T20Is and has a century, three fifties, and a strike rate of nearly 140. He was recently named captain of India’s five-match series against Zimbabwe in Harare, which the team won 4-1.
The tour will begin with the first Test in Chennai from September 19 onwards, while the second Test of the series will be played in Kanpur from September 27 onwards. The series will then move to T20Is, which will be played on October 7 (Gwalior), 10 (Delhi) and 13 (Hyderabad).
India is set for a bumper Test season starting with the Bangladesh series. After Bangladesh, India will host the New Zealand team for three Tests. After that, India will travel to Australia for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
These 10 Test matches are extremely important for India to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC 2025) final, which will be played at the Lord’s in June next year.
Shubman Gill to be rested from Bangladesh T20I series
As part of the BCCI’s workload management policy, important players like India vice-captain Shubman Gill will be rested for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which begins on October 7.
Shubman Gill, India’s No.3 in Test matches, is a key member of the team’s top order, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and is projected to play all ten Tests this season. Aside from Gill, a few other key players will be rested with the three-Test series against New Zealand in mind.
“Yes, Shubman will be rested for the Bangladesh T20I series. If you look at the fixture, the three T20Is will be played on October 7 (Gwalior), 10 (Delhi) and 13 (Hyderabad). Now first Test vs New Zealand starts on October 16. So with a turnaround of three days, it is important to give Gill a break,” a BCCI source told PTI.
T20Is are the Indian team’s lowest priority this season, with World Test Championship points and a five-match series against Australia taking precedence.
Also, ODIs will be essential because the Champions Trophy will be played in that format in February and March. Most of the Test squad players are expected to be rested for the T20Is against Bangladesh.
While Rohit, Virat, and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from the shortest format, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will also be rested based on workload management guidelines.
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