India’s defeat to South Africa in the opening Test at Kolkata has also highlighted their other problems. The Indian side, already suffering from home ground disadvantage, is being deprived of their captain, Shubman Gill who suffered an injury on the second day of the Test and is uncertain for the second Test in Guwahati starting November 22. Indians will have to be very careful in the second Test as the World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake.
Gill was fine until he came out to bat on the second day of the Test. But almost a few minutes later after facing his third delivery, the 25-year-old Indian captain was seen in discomfort. The Indian physiotherapist’s presence on the field was sought for a preliminary check-up and it was then revealed that Shubman Gill was required to exit the playing area.
The skipper of Gujarat Titans (GT) had to undergo scanning at a nearby hospital, and the report later confirmed it was a neck spasm. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Day 3 morning that Shubman Gill would not be participating in the first Test anymore. It is thought that his workload could have aggravated his injury.
Shubman Gill has been touring around the clock for the past few days ever since IPL 2025 mite started, thus playing all three formats. Furthermore, the Indian Test and ODI skipper was one of the lucky four who hopped on from Australia directly to Kolkata, where the Men in Blue were playing a five-match T20I series against the Aussies.
Gill was released from the hospital on November 16 but it is still uncertain if he will be fit enough to participate in the second Test. The head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the medical team would evaluate the situation in the next few days. Nonetheless, they are not allowing Gill to accompany the team to Guwahati as of now.
The Shubman Gill Absence – Team India’ in deep Trouble?
India, losing 93-their total-were unable to chase down 124 runs on day 3 of the first Test and surrendered to the South Africans. Besides, this is India’s fourth Test defeat at home during the tenure of Gautam Gambhir. For the Indians, losing a Test at their own ground was unusual. However, with the kind of pitches the hosts have been presenting, such results do not seem surprising.
Nevertheless, if Shubman Gill is unavailable for the second Test in Guwahati, it will be the responsibility of Indian management to have their combination ready for the time being. In the case of the recuperating Gill, Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal will be the one to take his place, with the first being the more preferred one. But that again would put Gautam Gambhir into a mix.
In the first Test at Kolkata, the Indian team gave Washington Sundar the No.3 slot while batting. But if the management is planning to promote Sai Sudharsan as the GT captain in place of his skipper, then either he or Washington Sundar will have to take a position different from the one they occupied in their last matches. This has been one of the problems with the Indian team, where the positions are not fixed.
Moreover, the nature of the pitches that the Indians have provided is a matter of concern.
Their batting order is not as strong against spin as it used to be. They are also better equipped and have increased their awareness against spin bowling. By providing tracks favorable for spin, the quality difference between the two teams is reduced, thus erasing the Indian home advantage.
