India’s T20 vice-captain and star batsman Shubman Gill could be rested for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh starting next month, according to a report by news agency PTI. The report claims that the Indian team management is expecting Gill to play all 10 Tests in the upcoming season and would like to give the youngster some much-needed rest.
With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is after the 20-over World Cup, Gill has found a prominent place in the new India XI under Suryakumar Yadav. Gill is also one of the few players to play all three formats consistently. In fact, Gill recently captained India in a 5-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which they won 4-1.
The PTI report also states that T20I is probably one of the least important formats at the moment, with the Champions Trophy and World Test Championship matches against Australia and England coming up.
“Yes, Shubman will be rested for the Bangladesh T20I series. If you look at the fixture, the three T20Is will be played on October 7 (Gwalior), 10 (Delhi) and 13 (Hyderabad). Now first Test vs New Zealand starts October 16… So with a turnaround of three days, it is important to give Gill a break,” a BCCI source was quoted by PTI as saying
Ishan Kishan to make a comeback in T20Is?
Apart from Gill, other Test team players like Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah will also be given rest for the T20I series. Meanwhile, the report also states that there will be a keen eye on Rishabh Pant’s workload, given that he is needed by the team in the longer format of the game.
Reportedly, in case Pant is rested for the 3 match T20I series, Ishan Kishan could make a long awaited comeback in the Indian team. Notably, Kishan has been missing in action this year after he made himself unavailable for selection during a series last year.