Shubman Gill’s sudden disappearance from the cricketing circuits was suspected to be due to his health issues, but he has instead calmed everyone’s concern by turning up to practice at the ICC Academy. Gill was witnessed alone during practice, after he missed the night practice session net, which in turn increased the speculation that he was indeed unwell.
- Before Champions Trophy 2025; 3 Questions that India answered
- Pakistan Record Chase send to tri-series final
- Mitchell Starc out of Champions Trophy for personal reasons; Smith to lead Australia
- Bumrah Resume Bowling, India consider taking him to Dubai
But on Thursday afternoon, Gill turned up at the ICC facilities where he practiced for more than a couple of hours. He was with two of the team’s throwdown specialists- Raghu and Nuwan and assistant coach Abhishen Nayar. India’s next match in the ongoing Champions Trophy is versus New Zeland which will take place at DICS on Sunday (March 2).
Pressure on India to exploit advantages – Van der Dussen
There were no activities scheduled on the Indian side on Thursday. The entire side had practiced intensively for approximately three hours the previous night, the highlight of which was the noticeable absence of Gill as well as the neutered Sharma’s decision to rest during the batting practice.
After he sustained a hamstring strain whilst fielding in Pakistan’s innings during the last Sunday’s big match, speculations are ongoing that Rohit might have to sit out the next game in order to reduce the chances of making the injury worse, with more important tasks, such as the semifinals on Tuesday March 2 and potentially the finals in March 9, ahead.
The Indian team has confirmed that they will hold nets on Friday and refrain from having practice on Saturday, one day before the third and final league fixture. KL Rahul is to conduct a press conference on Friday evening. New Zealand will hold practice on Friday and Saturday. Thursday was also a rest day for the Blackcaps.
Both India and New Zealand topped the four teams in Group A and have reached the semifinals by winning 2 matches each, consequently knocking out the host Pakistan and Bangladesh from the tournament. Therefore, the outcome of the contest on March 2 will have no impact on the semifinal prospects of either nation, but it is very important for determining which teams make it to the last four. The victor of the clash will face the second-placed side of Group B, which consists of Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa. For more read; Click Here