India, Nov 17 : India’s Test captain Shubman Gill has been discharged from the Kolkata hospital where he was undergoing treatment for a neck spasm sustained during the opening Test against South Africa. However, despite leaving the hospital, doubts persist over his availability for the second Test in Guwahati starting Saturday.
According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Gill is unlikely to attend India’s training session scheduled in Kolkata on Tuesday morning. The team is set to fly to Guwahati on Wednesday, but Gill is expected to skip the commercial flight as such travel is generally avoided for players recovering from neck-related injuries.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, speaking after India’s 30-run defeat in a low-scoring Test, confirmed that Gill was still “being assessed” and would undergo another round of evaluation by the medical team. India’s fourth-innings collapse to 93 while chasing 124 was exacerbated by Gill’s absence, effectively leaving the side a batter short.
“It was tough because we always knew we were one down,” Gambhir said. “Shubman wasn’t there, and then losing two before lunch meant we were virtually three down. A couple of 40–50 run partnerships could’ve kept us in the game.”
If Gill is ruled out of the Guwahati Test, India may consider left handers B Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal. Sudharsan impressed earlier with an 87 and 39 against the West Indies but managed only a highest score of 32 during India A’s recent tour of South Africa. Padikkal, who played one Test each in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and against England, also had modest outings with three single digit scores and a 24 for India A.
A potential replacement could leave India with as many as seven left-handers in their XI. The opening Test already saw India field six left-handed batters a first which South African offspinner Simon Harmer exploited to take six of his eight wickets against them. Part time offspinner Aiden Markram also dismissed a left-hander.
Gill was taken to hospital after retiring hurt early in India’s first innings, having faced just three balls. The BCCI later confirmed he would take no further part in the match. His latest injury concern comes amid increased workload monitoring, with the young captain having played continuously across formats since IPL 2025 and travelling directly from Australia to Kolkata after the T20I series.