Rishabh Pant to lead India in 2nd Test against South Africa as Shubman Gill misses out

Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa after failing to fully recover from a neck spasm. He sustained the injury during the series opener at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After hitting a boundary off Simon Harmer in India’s first innings, Gill was seen holding his neck in discomfort. He left the field with the physio and did not return to bat, later missing India’s fourth-innings chase of 124 as he was admitted to a hospital.

Although he was discharged the next day and recovered quickly, the medical team has deemed him unfit for the Guwahati Test.

“Shubman Gill has been responding well to treatment and will travel to Guwahati with the team on 19th November,” the BCCI had earlier stated.

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With Gill unavailable, vice-captain Rishabh Pant will lead the Indian side in the second Test, starting Saturday. Sai Sudharsan will come into the Playing XI as Gill’s replacement. Pant also captained the side during Gill’s absence in Kolkata. Gill arrived in Guwahati with the team and was seen without any neck support.

Gill is expected to recover within a week, giving him a chance to return as captain for the ODI series against South Africa beginning November 30. India trails the series 0–1 after a 30-run loss in the first Test, where they were bowled out for 93 while chasing 124.

Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja, and Devdutt Padikkal attended an optional training session on Tuesday. Play in the Guwahati Test will begin at 9 am each day, with a scheduled team break before lunch to adjust for early sunrise and sunset.