On Day 2 of the ongoing first Test against South Africa, underway at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Team India was dealt with a massive blow as red-ball captain Shubman Gill suffered sustained a neck spasm
. The incident occurred in the 35th over of India’s first innings. Gill, who walked out to bat after Washington Sundar’s dismissal, played on three deliveries and was left in visible pain after hitting Simon Harmer for a boundary.
While the physio attended him on the field, but he was forced to make his way back to the dugout. The 26-year-old did not return to bat with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming, “Shubman Gill has a neck spasm and is being monitored by the BCCI medical team. A decision on his participation today will be taken as per his progress.”
He woke up with a stiff neck: Morne Morkel confirms
Later in the day, Team India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel confirmed an update around the skipper while adding that he woke up with a stiff neck. Addressing the post-day press conference in Kolkata, Morkel said, “Yeah, I think we first need to determine how he got the neck stiffness, maybe just a bad night’s sleep. I don’t think it’s something we can put down to the load.”
“Gill is a very fit guy; he looks after himself very well. It’s just unfortunate that he woke up this morning with a stiff neck and carried that into the day, which was crucial for us. Another partnership with him batting around was going to be needed at the time, just bad timing," he added. However, ahead of Day 3’s play, BCCI confirmed that Gill will take no further part in the game as he continues his recovery in a hospital.
India's Playing XI in first Test vs South Africa:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (Ruled out), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
