New Delhi: Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes Shubman Gill has sent a clear message to his India team-mates about the importance of domestic cricket by agreeing to play in the Duleep Trophy.
Gill will lead the North Zone team in the upcoming tournament that will be held in its traditional zonal format, featuring four teams composed of players who are in contention of national call-ups.
His presence after a gruelling five-match England series where he scored over 750 runs to be the highest run scorer and help India draw the series 2-2, is a good sign and a perfect example for other national team players to follow, Gavaskar said.
“Shubman Gill, captaining the North Zone team, is a massive shot in the arm for this tournament. By being available, the Indian skipper is sending the right signal to the other members of the team. It would have been understandable if, after a gruelling tour where five Test matches were crammed into a little over six weeks, he had opted to rest,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
Gill was appointed the Test skipper before the India series and on his captaincy debut excelled with the bat to shatter Gavaskar’s record of most runs by an India in a series while leading the side.
His decision to play for the North Zone comes after the BCCI mandated national team players to appear in domestic tournaments, though the pacers have been given rest, which Gavaskar endorsed.
“The fast bowlers not playing is good thinking, as it has been an unusually hot summer in England, thanks to global warming, and their energies must have been expended after the untiring spells they bowled throughout the series,” he said.
North Zone will begin their campaign in a play-off against East Zone and a win for Gill’s side would set up a semi-final contest against either South Zone or West Zone.
It is not immediately clear whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play in the Duleep Trophy.