Team India suffered a major blow on Day 2 (Saturday, November 15) of the ongoing first Test match against South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Captain Shubman Gill was forced to retire and fans have taken to social media to express their concerns following the incident in the morning session.
India resumed the second day’s play at 37/1 with KL Rahul (13) and Washington Sundar (6) at the crease. The batters negotiated the South African attack before the opening hour. However, Simon Harmer provided a breakthrough for his team in his first over of the day, dismissing Washington Sundar for 29 runs.
Watch: Shubman Gill retires with injury on Day 2
Shubman Gill injured his neck while batting in India’s first innings. The incident took place after he hit a Simon Harmer boundary with a sweep shot over backward square leg. After playing the shot, Gill was seen holding the left side of his neck in visible discomfort.
The team physio rushed onto the field to assess the situation. Gill, unable to move his neck properly, decided to walk back to the locker room. The crowd cheered Rishabh Pant, who made his comeback after an injury.
The Indian camp hopes that the injury is not serious and that Gill can resume his innings later in the match as his absence would be a major setback for the batsman.
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Shubman Gill has also suffered from neck cramps before
Shubman Gill has struggled with a recurring neck injury over the past year. The right-handed batsman suffered similar spasms during the second T20I against Sri Lanka in 2024, forcing him to miss the remainder of that match.
Gill was ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The latest incident has reignited the debate over his workload management. Gill plays cricket continuously across formats while also managing the Indian side.
There has been no official confirmation from the Indian camp on the severity of the neck problem or whether Gill will return to bat in the ongoing innings. The medical team is expected to monitor him closely before making a decision on his participation.
India are experimenting with seventh batsman at number 3 after the Cheteshwar Pujara era
India promoted Washington Sundar to the third position. Washington replaced Sai Sudharsan in the XI but scored only 29 runs. Sundar became the seventh batsman to play at that spot since Cheteshwar Pujara’s departure, after trials with Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Karun Nair.
Gill, who was previously briefly at No. 3, has comfortably moved up to the No. 4 position, while Rahul has returned to his preferred opening role. India were 88 for 2 after 36.3 overs, with Rahul and Rishabh Pant at the crease. Gill retired injured for just 4 runs off 3 deliveries.
Earlier, the Indian bowlers dismissed the visitors for 159. Jasprit Bumrah took a five-wicket haul while Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each. Axar Patel claimed one as Aiden Markram top scored for the visitors with 31.
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