Shubman Gill likely to play in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 after two years: Reports

Team India batter Shubman Gill is all set to return to the Ranji Trophy after a gap of two years, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. Punjab will lock horns with heavyweight Karnataka in Elite Group C, starting January 23.

Gill's decision comes in the wake of the growing talk about the importance of prioritizing domestic cricket after the Indian team failed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has already joined the practice sessions of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy side at the BKC. Although he has confirmed his availability for the clash against Jammu & Kashmir, reports suggest that he might play the game to discover the lost touch.

Gill is the second Indian cricketer to join their respective Ranji Trophy team for training, and will reportedly play the next round of games.

“Yes, Shubman Gill is available for Punjab’s Ranji match against Karnataka on January 23,” Hindustan Times quoted a source from the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) as saying.

The last time Shubman Gill made a Ranji Trophy appearance was back in 2022 when he played the quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru. The right-hander registered scores of nine and 19 as Punjab suffered a 10-wicket defeat.

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Shubman Gill rested for the five-match T20I series against England

Team India announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, starting January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The selection committee rested Shubman Gill for the series owing to his dismal form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he accumulated only 93 runs over five innings.

The series will see the return of senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami after a gap of almost 12 months. Moreover, the selectors have appointed all-rounder Axar Patel as the vice-captain ahead of Hardik Pandya.

After Kolkata, the caravan will shift to Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai for the remaining four T20Is.

India's squad for England T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, and Dhruv Jurel (wk).