India Test captain Shubman Gill will take four to five personal net bowlers on the upcoming tour of New Zealand, paying for their expenses himself to prepare for the red-ball challenge. According to PTI, the dedicated bowlers will train exclusively with Gill, something that’s never been done before by a cricketer.
The 26-year-old is expected to leave for New Zealand on October 23 or 24 and will skip the India A Test matches against New Zealand A due to his ODI commitments. He’s also set to turn up for Punjab in their Ranji Trophy fixture against Chhattisgarh, starting October 18 in Mullanpur.
Another example of Shubman Gill’s dedication to Tests
New Zealand is not a cheap place to travel to from India, but Gill is clearly prepared to go out of his way to prepare for the Test format. The Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) pays for net bowlers, too, but Gill clearly wants to train specific things in his game.
The Gujarat Titans captain is an all-format superstar but seems to take Test cricket as seriously as one of his idols, Virat Kohli. Despite there being only months left for the 2027 World Cup in Africa, Gill will leave the ODI squad after the first three matches to prepare for the Tests, alongside KL Rahul and others.
There were only four days between the fifth ODI and the first Test, and the BCCI announced separate squads to allow ample preparation time for the Test regulars. Gill has publicly and, as per multiple reports, privately in the BCCI offices, pushed for better preparation for Test cricket, including through practice matches.
This is particularly important for New Zealand, where India doesn’t usually travel for Tests and where the conditions are polar opposites to the subcontinent, with a cool atmosphere and grass tops galore. By taking special net bowlers from India, the skipper is walking the talk.
