[Watch] Captain Shubman Gill hits the ground running ahead of India tour of Zimbabwe

India’s newly appointed captain for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, Shubman Gill, has begun preparations for the five-match T20I series. Gill will be keen to prove himself as a captain and player after failing to find a place in India’s main squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Punjab-born batter, however, was included among the four-member reserves for the ICC tournament.

In a couple of videos doing the rounds on X, Gill was seen running inside a sports complex with tracks where athletes run races.

Watch the clips below:

In his debut captaincy stint, Shubman Gill led Gujarat Titans (GT) to five wins in 12 games, excluding two abandoned games in IPL 2024. With the bat, the right-hander amassed 426 runs at a strike rate of 147.40, including a century and two 50s.

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“His class will continue to grow” – Ravi Shastri lauds Shubman Gill

Ravi Shastri lauded Shubman Gill for his class after the latter missed out on a place in India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The cricketer-turned-commentator asked Gill to take it positively and transform himself into a better player. Shastri said (via Hindustan Times):

"He (Gill) would be hurting. He should be hurting. He should look at it positively and try to get better. A player of his caliber would walk into any side, but such is the talent in India that he doesn't get a place."

"His class will continue to grow. He might not be in the World Cup side but he will take it in his stride. That will help him become a better player. He'll go from strength to strength," Shastri added.

The Men in Blue will play five T20Is against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on July 6, 7, 10, 13 and 14, respectively. Several players from the IPL have been rewarded for their impressive performances.

India’s squad for T20I series vs Zimbabwe: Ꮪhubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube (replaced injured Nitish Reddy).