Shubman Gill, the captain of India’s One Day International (ODI) and Test teams, has confirmed his availability for Punjab’s forthcoming Ranji Trophy second-round fixture against Chhattisgarh in New Chandigarh. With preparations for the early November ODI series in New Zealand underway, Gill aims to gain some valuable match practice in the red-ball format. This series will see him captaining for the initial three matches before handing the reins to Shreyas Iyer as focus shifts to the subsequent two Test matches.
As part of the concurrent India A tour, which involves three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A, figures like Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul will participate in the full series. Unfortunately, a scheduling clash prevents Gill from taking part in the unofficial Tests due to the overlap with the ODI series dates.
It is anticipated that Gill will bat at No. 4 for Punjab, a move that suggests Jashanpreet Sidhu may step aside to accommodate him. Prabhsimran Singh, who was absent from last week’s game against Assam due to India A obligations, is expected to return after scores of 39 and 17 in the recent clash against Australia A.
In their previous outing, Punjab collected three points by securing a lead in the first innings against Assam. Notably, Vihaan Malhotra, Emanjot Chahal, and Salil Arora each recorded fine centuries, while Umesh Yadav made an impressive return to first-class cricket, capturing 5 for 70. Yadav, who recently transferred from Vidarbha, marked his 16th career five-wicket haul.
The Punjab squad for this fixture features: Harnoor Pannu, Vihaan Malhotra, Shubman Gill, Uday Saharan (captain), Jashanpreet Sidhu, Salil Arora (wicketkeeper), Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Ramandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Emanjot Chahal, Harjas Tandon, Gurnoor Brar, Gursimran Singh, Sanvir Singh, and Umesh Yadav.
