Indian team captain Shubman Gill has been released from the hospital in Kolkata, but it is very likely that he will not be able to play in the next match at Guwahati. There is a possibility that he will be out of the second Test and that Devdutt Padikkal will be his replacement.
The South African team was victorious in the game against India at Eden Gardens, thanks to the pitch which did not favor the Indian batsmen. The Proteas secured the match, and in this way, the Indian team fell in the ICC WTC Points table.
Not only India lost the match but also their captain through an unfortunate injury; this was their biggest blow. The captain was experiencing neck spasms and was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata late, after the play had ended on Day 2.
A visit from the former BCCI President for Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill was on the ground when Indian no. 3 Washington Sundar’s long stay in the first innings for India got over with Simon Harmer taking the first wicket of the match on Day 2. This brought the Indian captain, who on his third ball, sent the loose delivery from Harmer to the boundary.
However, after the boundary, Gill immediately grabbed his neck and suffered spasms. The physios quickly came to the field and he was taken off. The captain did not come back onto the field, even though the Indian team’s batting was struggling.
He was taken to the Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata during the match when India could field only 10 players, got out for 93 runs, in the fourth inning and thus, the match was lost by a 30-run margin.
According to PTI reports, former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, who is now the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), visited Shubman at the Woodlands Multispeciality right after the humiliating defeat for India.
There is a possibility that Shubman Gill will undergo an assessment by the BCCI Physios before the Indian team makes any decision
In the meantime, the PTI report also mentioned that the team management has not come to a conclusion yet regarding Shubman Gill’s participation in the second Test at Guwahati. The Guwahati Test will be of utmost importance for India, as not only they want to set their foot back in the top 3 of the WTC table, but also avoid a home series whitewash.
The Test is to be conducted on November 22nd, and the BCCI physiotherapists are expected to finish their work by that time, as stated by Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir. He went on to explain that the decision can only come after the physiotherapist’s evaluation.
Devdutt Padikkal is likely to take over Shubman Gill’s position
Instead of being successful, the Indian team management at no. 3 tried Sai Sudharsan many times and he did not prove to be the right player. Recently, during the India A series, Sudharsan scored no fifty and his batting was not promising. So, he was dropped from playing XI and Washington Sundar was at no. 3.
Now, the next name to be considered is Devidutt Padikkal who would be coming in the place of Shubman Gill along with Sai Sudharsan. Padikkal was at no. 4 for India in the India A vs South Africa A series, but the same Karnataka player has also not had a very good outing for the country since his last first-class century against Australia A.