T20 World Cup 2024: Yashasvi Jaiswal sits out, Shubman Gill bats in India's first practice session

The Indian cricketers have started their full-fledged practice session after arriving in New York, United States of America (USA), for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, starting on Saturday, June 1. However, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has yet to join the Indian team for the upcoming ICC tournament.

The Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, will begin their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 5. The Men in Blue will face arch-rivals Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, in their second match at the same venue on June 9.

Yashasvi Sits Out During India's First Batting Session In New York

The Indian cricket team had an extensive three-hour net practice in New York on Wednesday afternoon. The Rohit Sharma-led team had a brief running and conditioning session on Tuesday evening. Virat Kohli was the only player absent from Wednesday's practice, and he is expected to join the team later.

India's net session took place at Cantiague Park, which is over five miles from Nassau County Stadium. This park, designated by the ICC as the official training facility, features six drop-in practice pitches. India will play three World Cup games and a warm-up match against Bangladesh at Nassau County Stadium.

The Indian team utilized three pitches during their practice session. Two were used for the batters and one for the bowlers. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started the batting practice. Other players followed in their batting order.

Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja participated in batting practice. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal took a break, as they recently joined the team after a long flight. They are expected to join the next net session on Friday.

Would Have Shubman Gill Over Yashasvi Jaiswal - Eoin Morgan

During a Sky Sports podcast with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, Eoin Morgan said that Shubman Gill should have been picked over Yashasvi Jaiswal in the World Cup squad. Morgan described Gill as a future leader and added that his presence can provide inspiration.

“The only decision I would have had differently and if I was selecting the squad, I would have Shubman Gill over Yashasvi Jaiswal. I have played alongside him, I know how he thinks. I know how he works," Morgan said.

“I feel he’s a future leader within that side and I think in big moments, in World Cups the more leaders the better. Even if he’s sitting on the sideline, you still need inspiration from here and there, a sense of positivity,” he added.

Shubman Gill was not included in the 15-member squad for the World Cup. However, Gill has been named among the reserve players for the ICC event. In the IPL 2024, the young opener scored 426 runs in 12 matches at an average of 38.73 and a strike rate of 147.40, featuring two fifties and one century.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: "There will be a lot of responsibility..." - Harbhajan Singh's bold take on Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah