India is anticipated to suffer a big blow right before the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati. Captain Shubman Gill has reportedly been eliminated because of a neck injury.
Gill injured his neck while batting in the first Test in Kolkata and did not take the field during South Africa’s second inning.
He also missed the opportunity to bat in India’s 124 runs’ chase, a contest that eventually ended up in India’s loss by 30 runs.
Rishabh Pant possibly to be the substitute captain
The injury was significant enough that Shubman Gill got his tests and evaluation done at a hospital in Kolkata.
The Indian Express states that he has the ability to travel to Guwahati and has responded well to treatment but is not yet ready to play.
The Indian team is most probably going to be captained by the vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who is back to Test captaincy at a major point with the hosts needing a triumph to equal the series.
With Gill’s availability being doubtful, Sai Sudharsan, the left-handed opener, might be interchanged in the first XI.
The 23-year-old has been performing exceptionally well in the domestic circuit and was also seen in India’s optional practice session at Eden Gardens on Tuesday along with Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja, and Devdutt Padikkal.
Gill not being there is a disadvantage and not only because he is the captain, but also because he has been India’s most reliable red-ball batter in the recent past.
The captain made more than 700 runs in five Tests during the series in England, including a career-best score of 269. However, putting him in the game at this point may put his future at risk.
BCCI has not yet summoned any injury replacement for Shubman Gill.
With the series in jeopardy after the loss in Kolkata, India is in dire need of a right-handed batsman who can not only play against off-spinner Simon Harmer but also take the place of Shubman Gill.
Nevertheless, a report from PTI suggests that the team management does not trust the players outside the squad, namely, Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair, and Abhimanyu Easwaran, despite their good spin-playing skills.
Hiring any of them would be viewed as a move that indicates a lack of trust in the young players currently in the team. This situation leaves India with the left-handed batsmen Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal, both of whom are not very convincing yet, or the option of Dhruv Jurel batting at No. 3.
