After stupendous show in the ICC U-19 cricket World Cup, batsman Shubman Gill and all-rounder Abhishek Sharma will be seen in action playing for Punjab in Vijay Hazare Trophy under captain Harbhajan Singh.
Parents of U-19 cricketers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma based in Mohali and Amritsar, respectively, will have to wait a bit longer to celebrate the World Cup victory with their sons. The duo, after arriving in Mumbai from New Zealand, joined the Punjab team in Alur for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
After stupendous show in the just concluded U-19 World Cup, batsman Shubman and all-rounder Abhishek will be seen in action playing for Punjab under captain Harbhajan Singh.
Heaping praise on the U-19 duo, Punjab coach Ajay Ratra said, “Shubman was in blazing form during the World Cup. The way he batted against Pakistan in the semifinal was commendable. Abhishek too chipped in whenever he could with the bat and bowl. Their inclusion will definitely help the Punjab team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.”
Shubman, who scored 372 runs in six matches in the Youth World Cup, was named player of the series after India beat Australia by eight wickets in the final. Shubman and Abhishek made their Ranji debuts for Punjab this season. “It is now very important for both of them to handle this acclaim and success wisely. They should realize that now all eyes will be on them and they should deliver the goods in order to live up to the expectations. They should try to focus on future and aim to keep the momentum going,” added Ratra, who was part of the victorious Indian team in the 2000 edition of the U-19 World Cup, the first time the Indian colts lifted the title in the history of tournament.
Punjab take on Haryana in their opening match. After Vijay Hazare Trophy, 18-year-old Shubman will join the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) camp, while 17-year-old Abhishek will be part of the Delhi Daredevils team. Shubman was bought by KKR for Rs1.8 crore, while Abhishek went to DD for Rs 55 lakh in the IPL auction.
Anmolpreet misses out
Strangely, Anmolpreet Singh, who had an impressive Ranji Trophy season and scored 753 runs in the five matches at an average of 125.50 has been dropped from the Punjab Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. However, he is part of the Punjab U-23 team which will compete in the One-Day tournament. Giving a reason to Anmolpreet’s exclusion from the senior team, Ratra said, “Anmolpreet was a great find in the Ranji season. He has been included in the U-23 team for the One-Day tournament as his presence will bolster the side. I had a chat with him to tell him that he should not feel disappointed on missing out on the Vijay Hazare chance.”
Team: Harbhajan Singh (Captain), Yuvraj Singh (Vice- Captain), Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Abhishek Gupta, Gitansh Khera, Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Manpreet Singh Grewal, Barinder Singh Sran, Mayank Markande and Sharad Lumba.
