Gill will miss the Test match in Guwahati against South Africa, and Pant will take over as captain

Guwahati Test: Gill will miss the 2nd Test match against South Africa, and Pant will take over as captain

India vs South Africa: India suffered another blow as captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the second Test to be held in Guwahati. Rishab Pant is set to take over the captaincy. The Indian skipper is likely to be replaced by left-hander Sai Sudharsan or all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy in the playing eleven.

Shubman Gill will miss the second Test against South Africa, starting Saturday in Guwahati, as he hasn’t fully recovered from the neck injury he picked up during the first Test in Kolkata. Rishabh Pant, the vice-captain, will lead the team in his absence.

Doctors have advised Gill to rest longer, warning that playing too soon could trigger more neck spasms. This injury might also affect his chances of being picked for the upcoming ODI series, which begins on November 30. The squad for that series will be announced on November 23.

With Gill ruled out, India will have to pick a replacement. The likely options are B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, or Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Gill had retired hurt after facing just three balls in the first innings in Kolkata and was later taken to the hospital. He didn’t return to bat, and India eventually lost the match by 30 runs, getting bowled out for 93 while chasing 124 on a tough pitch. This is not the first time Gill has had neck issues he missed a Test against New Zealand in October 2024 for the same reason.

Before the news of Gill’s absence became official, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said the team wouldn’t take any risks with him. He explained that unless the medical team was confident the injury wouldn’t return during the match, Gill would be rested.

One of India’s selection headaches is the number of left-hand batters in the squad. In Kolkata, five of the top eight were left-handers, and both Sudharsan and Padikkal also bat left-handed. This played into the hands of South Africa’s offspinner Simon Harmer, who was named Player of the Match.

Kotak, however, downplayed the lefty-vs-offspinner angle. He pointed out that South Africa also had a left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, and India had two left-arm spinners too. He said match-ups are important, but ultimately, it’s about how well you play.

At India’s practice session two days before the match, the first four batters in the nets were Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, and Dhruv Jurel the same top four from the second innings in Kolkata. Sai Sudharsan followed them into the nets. Padikkal didn’t bat early but was seen bowling part-time offspin.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had been released to play for India A, is back with the squad and bowled alongside Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep. Axar Patel joined the bowling session later than the others.

While these training patterns don’t confirm the playing XI, they offer clues. With the Guwahati pitch expected to be better for batting than Kolkata’s, India might not need a fourth spinner. If Sudharsan replaces Gill, and Reddy comes in for Axar, it would help balance the left- and right-handers in the line-up and give India an extra seam-bowling option especially useful if the pitch has some grass.