Shubman Gill, who is expected to be a key player for India in the Asia Cup 2025, was not available for the first round of the Duleep Trophy as he was not feeling well. This was after he was picked to lead the North Zone team.
Many Indian players were picked for their respective zone teams in the Duleep Trophy. So they will play in the first round which starts the Indian domestic season for 2025-26. Most of these players will also play for India in the upcoming Asia Cup. Gill, the Indian Test team captain, was supposed to play in the Duleep Trophy before heading to the Asia Cup.
The Duleep Trophy match between North Zone and East Zone started today, August 28th, at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence but Gill was not there. He was already called to the same place.
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Gill was picked to captain the North Zone team but he had to pull out of the domestic tournament as he had viral flu a few weeks before the Duleep Trophy round. Now his blood tests are clear and he needs to pass the fitness tests at the BCCI CoE.
Ankit Kumar, a top order batter from Haryana, has taken over as the captain of the North Zone in Gill’s absence. Shubham Rohilla from Services will replace Gill as a batter.
Dhruv Jurel, the Indian wicket-keeper who made a big impact in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy even though he was not a regular player in the playing eleven, was picked as the captain of the Central Zone. But he also missed the quarterfinal match against the Northeast Zone.
Jurel had a groin issue so Rajat Patidar, the RCB captain who was his deputy, is now leading the team. Other well known Indian players in the team are Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed.
The teams that win their quarterfinal matches will go to the semis which start on September 4th. The final is on September 11th.
The East Zone team who are playing against the North Zone are also facing a setback. Their regular captain Abhimanyu Easwaran is not available and the young Riyan Parag is leading the team instead. Apart from Gill, Arshdeep and Harshit Rana two other Asia Cup players will play in the Duleep Trophy. Both are in the North Zone team.
