Shubman Gill, the Test captain of India, was released from the hospital in Kolkata after receiving treatment for a spasm in the neck that he sustained during the first Test against South Africa. Nonetheless, his participation in the second Test to be held in Guwahati, which will commence on Saturday, according to ESPNcricinfo, is still dubious.
On Tuesday morning, the Indian team will hold a practice session in Kolkata but Gill will not be present for it. The team will fly to Guwahati on Wednesday, but doctors have advised against commercial air travel for someone with a neck problem. In that case, Gill will not fly with the team.
Coach Gautam Gambhir during the post-match conference stated, Gill is still under observation and the team physiotherapist will conduct one more round of assessment shortly. Gill’s absence in the fourth innings of the Kolkata Test left the Indian team one batter short, and finally, they lost by 30 runs.
“It was tough because we always knew we were one down,” Gambhir said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
“Of course, Shubman was not there but losing two before lunch made us literally three down. Still, we always thought that if we could form partnerships, one of 50 runs or two of 40 runs, we would be in the game,” he explained.
What can India do in his absence?
Should Gill be unavailable for the Guwahati Test, then Indian selectors might pick the left-handers B Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal. Sudharsan’s performance against the Windies in the Delhi Test was impressive where he scored 87 and 39 but then in the same month, he could only manage a highest of 32 in four innings for India A against South Africa A.
Padikkal, who has played one Test each in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the England series at home, scored three single-digit runs and a 24 against South Africa A.
India is only one change away from having seven left-handed batsmen in their line-up. For the first time in the Kolkata Test, India had six left-handers in the playing eleven. The off-spinner of South Africa, Simon Harmer, took six left-handers out in the contest, and Markram, the part-timer, also got one.
After Day 2 of the Kolkata Test, Gill was immediately brought to the hospital after he was treated for a very mild injury in the first innings and had faced only three balls. On the morning of Day 3, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that he would not be participating in the Test anymore.
Before, Gill had experienced the same kind of neck spasm, and it prevented him from playing in the Test against New Zealand in October 2024. His current injury situation coincides with the fact that the medical team is keeping a close watch on his workload.
Ever since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, he has been playing nonstop in all formats and was one of the four Test players who flew to Kolkata straight from Australia after the T20I series
