A day after a report claimed that Shubman Gill might be under the weather and consequently skipped India’s training session on Wednesday, the BCCI management has clarified that the star opener is indeed healthy and was absent because he opted to practice at the ICC Cricket Academy on Thursday instead.
India play their matches of the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai as per the Hybrid Model.
However, he opted for a private training session on Thursday with some members of the support staff and net bowlers. He batted for about two hours facing throwdowns specialists Raghu and Nuwan, as well as some net bowlers from UAE.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was also part of the training session.
His absence from the session on Wednesday led to speculation about Gill’s health in Dubai.
As per Timesofindia.com, the training session occurred during the afternoon hours.
“They weren’t highly formal because, after a day of rest, Shubman Gill trained with some of the support staff in an informal aspect. Since it wasn’t an official training day, it seems personal. But it wasn’t a marathon deal and took place in the afternoon hours,” the website quoted a source as saying.
As such, the Friday net session was apparently confirmed for the Indian cricket team, followed by a definite skipping of training on Saturday.
India is set to meet New Zealand in its final group A fixture on Sunday. Both teams are unbeaten and have already qualified for the semifinals of the Champions Trophy.
While Gill might have allayed some concerns regarding his health, the other issues of the captain remain unsettled for the Indian camp, as poster boy Rohit Sharma hurt his hamstring during last Sunday’s Pakistan game.
Rohit didn’t bat on Wednesday and only indulged in some light jogging. There are reports that he might be rested for the New Zealand game with Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar among the likely replacements.
