India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will represent Punjab against Chhattisgarh in their Ranji Trophy second-round fixture in New Chandigarh from Sunday.
The 27-year-old has joined the squad at short notice to gain red-ball match practice before India tours New Zealand.
Uday Saharan will continue to captain Punjab. Gill will feature in the first three ODIs against New Zealand from November 4 to 15 before handing over the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer and preparing for the subsequent two-Test series.
Gill had initially been expected to play an India A match in New Zealand. However, the third unofficial Test against New Zealand A, scheduled for November 7-10 in Lincoln, clashes with India’s ODI commitments.
His Ranji Trophy appearance will therefore provide an opportunity to prepare for the longer format. Gill is expected to bat at No. 4, potentially leaving Jashanpreet Sidhu out of the playing XI.
Wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh will also return after missing Punjab’s opening match against Assam because of India A duties. He scored 39 and 17 against Australia A during the 50-over series in Puducherry, which India A lost 2-1.
Punjab collected three points against Assam after securing a first-innings lead. Vihaan Malhotra, Emanjot Chahal and Salil Arora each scored a century in that match.
Veteran fast bowler Umesh Yadav also made his first-class comeback after more than two years. Following his move from Vidarbha to Punjab, he claimed 5-70, recording his 16th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
Punjab will aim to build on their opening-round performance against Chhattisgarh at the New PCA Stadium. JioHotstar and Star Sports Khel will broadcast the match, while JioHotstar will stream Karnataka-Saurashtra and Kerala-Odisha.
Punjab squad: Harnoor Pannu, Vihaan Malhotra, Shubman Gill, Uday Saharan (captain), Jashanpreet Sidhu, Salil Arora (vice-captain), Ramandeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Harpreet Brar, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Harjas Tandon, Gurnoor Brar, Umesh Yadav, Gursimran Singh, Sanvir Singh and Sehaj Dhawan.
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