Shubman Gill to miss India ‘A’ ODI series games vs New Zealand due to injury

Punjab’s Shubman Gill, who was chosen in the Rahul Dravid-coached India ‘A’ squad for the five-match series against New Zealand ‘A’, will miss the first few matches due to a side strain.

Teenaged Punjab batsman, Shubman Gill, will miss the first three matches in the ODI series between India ‘A’ and New Zealand ‘A’ due to a side strain.

Shubman Gill was one of the standout performers for the India U-19 team that won the two Tests and five ODIs during their tour of England earlier this year. (Twitter/HAFEEZ PARDESI‏)

Gill, 18, a member of the Punjab Ranji Trophy side, was chosen in the Rahul Dravid-coach squad for the five-match series starting in Visakhapatnam on October 6.

(Read | Karn Sharma stars as India A trounce New Zealand A to win series 2-0)

Shubman was rewarded with a spot in the India ‘A’ squad for his excellent performance in the U-19 ODIs against the England U-19 team in England in July-August.

A disappointed Shubman Gill told Hindustan Times: “I was really pumped for the Ranji Trophy season and was looking forward to my first-class debut. Unfortunately, I got injured during net practice in the preparatory camp in Mohali.

“Then the India ‘A’ squad was announced. I’ve been advised a week’s bed rest by the Punjab physiotherapist and will start strengthening afterwards. I will miss the first three ODIs for sure and then take a call on the next games. If not fully fit, I will miss the entire series.”

Shubman Gill gave stellar performances for the India U-19 team that won two Tests and five ODIs in England. He scored 174 runs in the two Tests, including a century in the second game in Worcester, and made 278 runs at an average of 92.66 and with a strike rate of over 100 in the one-day series, finishing as the highest run-getter from either side.

“Scoring on England pitches gave me a big high. I had scored runs against the England U-19 team at home, but doing well in seaming conditions was more satisfying,” said Shubman, who is a leading candidate for the 2018 U-19 World Cup, to be played in New Zealand in January, 2018.

Shubman Gill said: “My want to attain full fitness first. My focus is on the Ranjni Trophy season followed by the U-19 World Cup,” said Shubman, who bagged the best U-16 cricketer award for successive years (2013-14 and 2014-2015).

Shubman has already played List A matches for Punjab. Son of an agriculturist, Shubman (351) first caught attention when he raised a world-record 587-run opening partnership with Nirmal Singh (267) in the Punjab U-16 inter-district tournament in 2014.