India’s Test captain Shubman Gill has been discharged from the Kolkata hospital where he was being treated for a neck spasm he suffered during the first Test against South Africa. But, it is still not clear whether he will be fit for the second Test in Guwahati, which begins on Saturday, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.
India has a training session scheduled in Kolkata on Tuesday morning, but Gill is not expected to take part. The team will travel to Guwahati on Wednesday, but since doctors have advised him to avoid commercial flights while recovering from a neck problem, he is unlikely to travel with the squad, news agency ANI reported.
Gambhir says Gill still being monitored
At the post-match press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir said Gill was still being monitored and that the team physio would check him again soon. Gill’s absence in the fourth innings of the Kolkata Test meant India were short of one batter and they eventually lost the match by 30 runs.
“It was tough because we always knew we were one down. Obviously, Shubman wasn’t there, and then losing two before lunch, we were literally three down. But we always felt that if we got those partnerships, a 50-run partnership or two 40-run partnerships, we would’ve been in the game,” ESPNcricinfo reported quoting Gambhir.
India’s options if Gill misses the second test
If Gill is ruled out of the Guwahati Test, India may consider left-handers B Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal. Sudharsan did well with scores of 87 and 39 against the West Indies in Delhi, but he managed only a top score of 32 in four innings for India A against South Africa A recently.
Padikkal, who has played one Test each in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the home series against England, scored three single-digit innings and a 24 against South Africa A, ANI reported.
If this is the only change India makes, the team could end up with seven left-handed batters. In the Kolkata Test, India had six left-handers in the playing XI for the first time. South Africa’s offspinner Simon Harmer dismissed six left-handers in that match, while part-time bowler Aiden Markram also picked up one.
Gill was taken to the hospital after day two of the Kolkata Test, soon after he retired hurt in the first innings having faced only three balls. On the morning of day three, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that he would take no further part in the match.
Gill has experienced a similar neck spasm before – it kept him out of the Test against New Zealand in October 2024. This latest injury has come at a time when his workload is already being watched closely. He has been playing non-stop across formats since IPL 2025 and was among the four Test players who flew straight to Kolkata from Australia after the T20I series.