'Unwell' Shubman Gill Out of Duleep Trophy; Doubtful for the Asia Cup?

The Duleep Trophy 2025 is set to start later this week in Bengaluru where all the six zones will clash against each other. The zones, North, South, East, West, Central, and North East, have players from all around the country. As per their state's zones, they are divided into different teams with one captain.

The Duleep Trophy is one of the most important domestic tournaments in India and probably the most prestigious after the Ranji Trophy. India's Test captain Shubman Gill was due to play the tournament this year, which was a big news. However, Gill has reportedly pulled out of the tournament. This also casts doubt over his availability for the Asia Cup 2025.

Will Shubman Gill Play Asia Cup 2025?

India's T20I vice captain and North Zone's captain Shubman Gill is apparently 'unwell' and is likely to be ruled out of the Duleep Trophy 2025. While Shubman Gill Duleep Trophy availability wouldn't have been entirely smooth because of his selection in India's Asia Cup squad, his illness has casted a big question mark.

However, it is believed that Gill is fit enough to play in the Asia Cup 2025 and will join the Indian squad on time. He will be a key player for the Men in Blue in this tournament from the leadership point of view as well. This will be his first T20I tournament for India after a very long time and it will be crucial for him from every aspect. The criticism that has been coming around from fans and cricket pundits will hover around him throughout the tournament unless he proves them wrong.

Gill, one of the best batsmen of India at the moment, has the capability to become an all-format player. His temperament and game knowledge is perfect and can lead him to certain heights. His recent Test series against England speaks volumes about his captaincy skills as well. Despite having responsibilities on his shoulders, he went in to score 754 runs in five matches. His focus on batting remains his top priority and we have seen it in the IPL as well. Leading the Gujarat Titans, Gill has been the leading run scorer of the team many times.

Who Will Shubman Gill Replace in India's T20I Team?

The selection of Shubman Gill, despite having Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as openers, drew a lot of controversies towards the selectors. Both batters have performed brilliantly for the team in the past and having to drop them in the Asia Cup 2025 will be a tough decision for the management.

Shubman Gill Asia Cup selection means that one of the two openers will have to sacrifice their seats since he is likely to open the batting. If we take a look at the previous series, Sanju Samson is the one who is most likely to be dropped from the playing XI. His performance against England in January 2025 wasn't that great as he scored 51 runs in five matches, at an average of 10.5.

Hence, the management might bench him and go on with Gill in the Asia Cup 2025. In the bowling department, India are likely to go with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh as the main pace bowlers. Bumrah's presence will help the team in crunch situations as he is the best bowler in the world across formats. After the Asia Cup 2025, India will play a two-match Test series against West Indies as well. As a result, the bowler's fitness will be Indian team management's top priority.