4 months ago
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India Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill has decided against taking a interruption aft the caller 50-over nonaccomplishment to New Zealand and volition play the adjacent Ranji Trophy crippled for Punjab against Saurashtra astatine Rajkot, starting connected Thursday (January 22, 2026).
Gill, who featured successful each 3 ODIs successful the just-concluded bid that India mislaid 1-2, has chosen to instrumentality to red-ball cricket instantly arsenic helium is not portion of India's T20 World Cup squad.
The 26-year-old is keen to assistance Punjab support their slim knockout hopes live successful the premier home tournament.
"Shubman decided against taking immoderate interruption station ODI bid and it took him 8 hours to scope Rajkot from Indore arsenic determination aren't immoderate nonstop flights, available," a root adjacent to the Punjab squad told PTI.
Punjab are presently placed sixth successful Group B with 11 points from 5 matches.
With 3 league games inactive to beryllium played, the erstwhile champions would request outright victories successful each their remaining fixtures to harbour immoderate realistic accidental of making it to the knockout stage. Gill's beingness astatine the apical of the bid is truthful seen arsenic important to Punjab's ambitions.
The lucifer against Saurashtra, the reigning home heavyweights, volition besides people Gill's archetypal red-ball quality since helium sustained a cervix wounded during the Test bid against South Africa, which ruled him retired of competitory cricket for a lengthy period.
His instrumentality is expected to importantly bolster Punjab's batting line-up, which has been inconsistent truthful acold this season.
Despite his increasing responsibilities astatine the planetary level, the Indian skipper has often stressed the value of home cricket successful maintaining signifier and lucifer fitness.
