According to various reports, the Indian Test captain Shubman Gill is all set to take four or five personal net bowlers to New Zealand, and all their expenses will be taken care of by the captain himself.
It’s important to note that the BCCI usually arranges designated net bowlers to assist Indian batters during their overseas tours. However, this would be the first time an Indian player paid out of his own pocket to take net bowlers exclusively for himself.
“This is interesting. Gill isn’t playing India A Tests as he also has to play ODIs. Hence, he is leaving for New Zealand on October 23 or 24. The four to five bowlers accompanying him will have all their expenses paid by Gill,” a BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
It is worth noting that Shubman Gill scored 754 runs during the five-match Test series against England last year. However, the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand is expected to pose a significant challenge to his temperament and technique.
Gill will not feature in the India A Test matches against New Zealand A and is instead scheduled to travel to New Zealand on October 23. The early departure will give him additional time to acclimatise to the conditions and fine-tune his technique ahead of the red-ball assignment.
Meanwhile, Gill missed Punjab’s opening Ranji Trophy fixture but is expected to return for their second match against Chhattisgarh, which begins on October 18 in Mullanpur.
India’s Test squad vs NZ: Shubman Gill [C], Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul [VC], Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant [WK]*, Dhruv Jurel [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Note: *Subject to fitness clearance
Test Series Schedule:
First Test, 19-23 November, Wellington
Second Test, 27 November-1 December, Christchurch
