Shubman Gill to pay out of pocket for personal net bowlers for New Zealand tour: Report

In an unprecedented move in Indian cricket, the ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill will take along four or five personal net bowlers with him on the away tour of New Zealand. Part of the squad for the first three ODIs and the two Tests that follow, Gill has gone the extra mile to prepare for the crucial series. The right-handed batter will leave on October 23 or 24 -- just days after the T20I opener on October 22 -- and bear all expenses, including travel, stay and food, for his personal net bowlers, who will train exclusively with him.

"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.

Soon after taking over Test captaincy from Rohit Sharma ahead of the away England Tests last year, Gill broke several batting records in the UK. The right-handed batter, who replaced Virat Kohli at number four in Tests, amassed 754 runs in five Tests, including his maiden double hundred at Edgbaston (269). He averaged 75.40 with the bat, hitting four hundreds in challenging conditions.

While the BCCI will also send a separate set of net bowlers to help players prepare for the two-match Test series, Gill’s decision to arrange dedicated net bowlers for himself represents an unusual step in his preparation for the demanding series.

Unlike other Test regulars, including KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal, Gill will not feature in India ‘A’ matches, but is reaching New Zealand earlier than the remainder of the ODI and Test squads to acclimatise to the conditions.

Gill to play for Punjab in Ranji Trophy

Gill missed Punjab’s opening Ranji Trophy match due to personal reasons but is set to return to the playing XI for the second fixture against Chhattisgarh, starting October 18 in Mullanpur.

The Ranji fixture will also provide Gill an opportunity to get some red-ball practice ahead of the New Zealand series.