Indian captain Shubman Gill begins practice for ODI series in New Zealand

Series Preparation

Indian cricket team captain Shubman Gill has started his training for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand in Auckland. The team is currently playing a T20 series as part of their tour, which includes five T20 matches, five ODI matches, and two Test matches. The first ODI is scheduled for November 4 at Eden Park, which is also the venue for the fourth T20 match. During the training session on October 29, Gill consulted with head coach Gautam Gambhir before joining teammates Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul for net practice.

New Training Technology

During his practice session, Gill drew attention by wearing a new technical device called a 'Temple' on the side of his forehead, unlike regular smartwatches or fitness bands. This device is designed by a tech team linked with Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal to monitor changes in blood flow to the brain, physical effort, stress levels, and recovery after rest. Indian badminton star P.V. Sindhu has also used this device previously, though details on how players use the data are not yet clear.

Milestone Goals

Gill has played 149 matches and scored 7625 runs for India so far in his international career, nearing the 8000-run milestone. In ODIs specifically, he has played 70 matches and scored 3713 runs, and he is expected to cross 4000 ODI runs during this tour.

Context

Advanced wearable technology in sports has moved beyond basic step-counting to track internal physiological states like stress and recovery. Such tools help team management fine-tune training loads for players facing long tours and heavy match schedules.