Shubman Gill mandates Indian Test players to join him in Ranji Trophy

Shubman Gill [Source: AFP]

Shubman Gill wants Team India Test regulars to play Ranji Trophy in at least some capacity before joining their respective franchises for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. 

The Indian captain is reportedly firm on making plans for the ongoing 2025-27 WTC and next year’s 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup as the Indian team heads into a brief break from ODI and Test cricket.

Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, Team India recently lost its three-match home ODI series against New Zealand. The ‘Men in Blue’ also lost an ODI series in Australia a few months ago.

The Indian Test side, however, secured a fighting 2-2 draw in England and walloped West Indies at home. While Shubman Gill got injured on Day 2 of the series-opener against South Africa, the hosts went on to lose that two-match rubber 0-2 under interim captain Rishabh Pant.

Shubman Gill wants Indian players to maintain red-ball groove

The Indian cricket team hosted South Africa for a two-match Test series a couple of months ago. While regular captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the series owing to an injury on Day 2 of the opening Test in Kolkata, Rishabh Pant took over India’s leadership duties on an interim basis.

Under the leadership of Pant, the Indian team suffered a close defeat in the first Test and a record drubbing in the second to concede the two-match series 0-2.

Tottering at number six on the current WTC 2025-27 points table, the Indian team is scheduled to play its next WTC fixture in August later this year through a two-match series in Sri Lanka.

With a clear break from Test cricket in the meantime, national skipper Shubman Gill wants his teammates and Test regulars to play at least one Ranji Trophy 2025-26 match once the Indian red-ball tournament resumes from January 22 onwards.

Gill, Gambhir ring alarm bells after home domination dusted

As reported by the TOI, there was a discussion between captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar to ensure that players embrace the long-format grind before the IPL 2026 season. 

Apart from willing to keep his teammates in shape for the WTC 2025-27 cycle, the Indian skipper is also fine-tuning plans for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup in South Africa next year.

Shubman Gill leads by example

Shubman Gill himself has joined the Punjab team for their upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025-26 match against Saurashtra between January 22 and January 25. His senior national teammate and legendary all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will reportedly be joining the Saurashtra team in the same game.

Fellow Indian cricketers like KL Rahul and Nitish Kumar Reddy have also made themselves available for Karnataka and Andhra teams for the second phase of 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.

The Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season is set to make its return from January 22 onwards after a two-month break for BCCI’s elite white-ball tournaments, the SMAT and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

With only two rounds of league fixtures remaining, the ongoing Ranji Trophy season is scheduled to conclude with a final between February 24 and February 28 next month.