Kolkata, Nov 16: India captain Shubman Gill was on Sunday ruled out of the remainder of the opening Test against South Africa after suffering a neck injury, the BCCI said in an update ahead of day three. The board confirmed that Gill will not be available to bat in the second innings on a surface already showing uneven bounce.
Gill had retired hurt on 4 on the second day after experiencing sharp pain in his neck while sweeping spinner Simon Harmer for four. He received brief on-field treatment but eventually walked off. Later in the evening, he was stretchered into an ambulance with his neck immobilised and admitted to a Kolkata hospital for further tests.
“Captain Shubman Gill had a neck injury on Day 2. He was taken to the hospital for examination after the end of day’s play,” the Indian team management said in a statement. “He is currently under observation. He will take no further part in the Test match.”
Rishabh Pant, who stepped in on Saturday after Gill left the field, will continue to lead India for the remainder of the match.
Assistant coach Morne Morkel said the stiffness appeared unrelated to workload. “We first need to determine how he got the neck stiffness—maybe just a bad night’s sleep. I don’t think it’s down to load,” he said after stumps on Saturday.
Gill, one of India’s all-format players, recently returned to T20s during the Asia Cup and was appointed ODI captain for the Australia white-ball series.
