India’s newly appointed Test skipper and T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill has been absent from the Duleep Trophy 2025 clash against East Zone, despite being named as the captain ahead of the tournament. In Gill’s absence, Ankit Kumar has been handed over the leadership duties. Initially, the reason behind his absence was unclear at first but now it is known that he had to skip the tournament because of flu that left him confined to his home in Chandigarh for several days.
After seeking medical advice, Gill was ruled out of the quarterfinal to prioritise rest and recovery. His absence has definitely been a setback for North Zone who relied heavily on his form and experience in the longer format.
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With Shubman Gill now fully fit, he has resumed light training and fitness at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. He is expected to fly to Dubai in the upcoming days ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. He is likely to be among first group of players that will reach Dubai.
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Recently the Indian squad was announced for Asia Cup which is starting from September 9. But one of the most significant changes were that Gill was added to the squad and made the vice-captain instead of Axar Patel, who was doing the job earlier. The squad will now gather in Dubai on September 4 and conduct a few training sessions. The Suryakumar led squad will be starting their tournament on September 10 with the first match against UAE. The Asia Cup 2025 also serves as a stepping stone in India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup next year.
