India suffered a major setback ahead of the Guwahati Test as captain Shubman Gill is set to miss the match due to persistent neck spasms, handing Rishabh Pant the leadership role for the second Test starting Saturday (22).
Gill, who retired hurt after facing just three balls in Kolkata and was later hospitalised, has been advised further rest to avoid a recurrence of the injury. His unavailability could also impact his ODI selection for the South Africa series beginning on November 30, with the squad to be announced on November 23.
India now face a selection dilemma, with B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy emerging as contenders to replace Gill. With India already fielding a left-hander-heavy top order, the choice becomes more complicated, especially after Simon Harmer dominated the Kolkata Test with favourable match-ups.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed the team would not risk Gill unless fully assured of a complete recovery, stressing that re-triggering the spasm mid-game would be detrimental. Meanwhile, Thursday’s practice session provided some hints, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel batting first, followed by Sai Sudharsan.
Padikkal skipped the early batting drills and bowled part-time offspin, while seam-bowling allrounder Nitish Reddy returned to training after being released for India A duties. With a greener, more balanced Guwahati pitch expected, India may opt against a fourth spinner, opening the door for Reddy to replace Axar Patel and maintain the right-left batting balance.
India, trailing 0-1, now enter the Guwahati Test with new leadership and new questions — and a must-win scenario to level the series.
