Shubman Gill Dismisses Fitness Concerns, Trains Privately on India's Rest Day
India's star batter and vice-captain, Shubman Gill sparked fear over his availability for the team's final group game in the 2025 Champions Trophy against New Zealand on Sunday after he was the only player to skip the training session on Wednesday at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
The two-time champions took a break on Thursday after training together the day before, their first session since defeating Pakistan last week. However, Shubman Gill chose to practice separately at the ICC Academy. He had a light session to sharpen his skills, accompanied by throwdown specialists and support staff.
"Shubman Gill trained with members of the support staff for an informal session. Since it wasn't an official training day, it looks like a personal session. But it wasn't a marathon one and took place in the afternoon hours," a well-placed source told the newspaper.
The young player is in great form for India in this tournament. He scored a century in the first match in Dubai last week against Bangladesh, which helped him become the No. 1 batter in the ICC ODI rankings. He strengthened his position with a fighting 46 runs off 52 balls against Pakistan last Sunday.
The Indian team came together on Wednesday for the first time since their match against Pakistan, but one thing caught everyone's attention Shubman Gill was missing. This led to some worries about whether he might be injured, especially with India’s next big game against New Zealand just around the corner. New Zealand is currently on top of the Group A standings after beating both Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, reports say that Gill is expected to join the team’s training session on Friday, which will be their last practice before the important match.
Everyone will be watching India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, closely. On Wednesday, he didn’t do much physical training and only did some light jogging. Reports say he injured his hamstring during the match against Pakistan.