Shubman Gill addressed concerns about his health by attending a practice session at the ICC Academy. The Indian vice-captain, who had previously missed a practice session, trained alone, putting to rest any speculation about him being unwell.
On Thursday afternoon, Gill spent over two hours practicing at the ICC facility. He was supported by team throwdown specialists Raghu and Nuwan, as well as assistant coach Abhishen Nayar. India’s next match in the Champions Trophy is against New Zealand on Sunday, March 2nd at DICS.
Thursday was a designated rest day for the Indian team. The team had a full practice session on Wednesday night, where Gill was notably absent, along with Rohit Sharma who skipped batting practice.
Following a hamstring injury sustained while fielding during the match against Pakistan last Sunday, there has been discussion about Rohit Sharma potentially missing the next game to prevent further injury before the crucial semifinal on Tuesday, March 2nd, and potentially the final on March 9th.
The Indian team has announced practice sessions for Friday but will rest on Saturday, the day before their final league match. KL Rahul is scheduled to speak to the media on Friday evening. New Zealand will practice on both Friday and Saturday. Thursday was also a rest day for the New Zealand team.
Both India and New Zealand have already secured spots in the semifinals with two wins each in Group A, eliminating Pakistan and Bangladesh from the competition. Therefore, the result of the March 2nd match will not affect either team’s semifinal qualification but will be important for determining the final semifinal pairings. The winner of the India-New Zealand game will face the second-placed team from Group B, where Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa are competing for two semifinal spots.
