India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill has not been officially ruled out of the second Test against South Africa here, but the chances of him taking the field are increasingly slim. The Punjab right-hander’s neck injury, sustained when he faced only three balls before retiring hurt in the first Test in Kolkata, has left a major void at the top of the order and in the team’s composition ahead of the must-win second match.
Gill did not return to bat in India’s second innings, and his absence proved decisive as the hosts crumbled to a third-day defeat in the series opener. A video of him leaving the Kolkata airport in a neck brace, visibly struggling to walk, underlined the seriousness of the injury and all but confirmed his unavailability for the next Test. Although he has since been discharged from hospital, his recovery timeline remains uncertain, and India must now prepare for a crucial match without their most dependable right-handed top-order batter.
India have added Nitish Kumar Reddy back to the squad after releasing him for the first Test, giving them three possible replacements for Gill: specialist left-handers B Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal, and the seam-bowling allrounder Reddy. However, none is a like-for-like option for a pivotal right-hander, particularly on the back of India’s struggles against Simon Harmer in Kolkata.
The South African offspinner took eight wickets, six of them left-hand batters, and exposed India’s imbalance with six left-handers in their XI.
Reddy, while offering a right-handed option, remains a developing player. In India’s previous Test series against West Indies, he bowled only four overs across two matches and batted once, slotting in at No. 8. His inclusion would force India to rethink their balance rather than directly replace Gill.
This opens the possibility of drafting in a right-hand specialist from outside the squad. Ayush Mhatre, who scored fifties in both unofficial Tests for India A against South Africa A, is one option. Others include Rajat Patidar, Ayush Badoni, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who struck 117 and 68 not out in the one-day leg of the same tour. A more speculative choice would be Sarfaraz Khan, part of the squad for the Australia tour earlier this year, or Karun Nair, who recently returned to Test cricket after eight years and has begun the Ranji season in prolific form with scores of 73, 174 not out, 233 and 95.
Pitch in focus as Guwahati prepares for maiden Test
As India evaluate their batting combinations, the spotlight has also shifted to the conditions expected in Guwahati, which is set to host its first-ever Test match.
The Barsapara surface, made of red soil, typically offers bounce and carry, but the BCCI is wary of avoiding another pitch-related controversy after the sharp turner at Eden Gardens came under fire. South Africa had defended just 123 in Kolkata, though head coach Gautam Gambhir later insisted the surface was exactly what India had wanted.
With crucial World Test Championship points at stake and BCCI secretary Davjit Saikia hailing from the city, all eyes are now on how the ACA Stadium pitch is prepared, and whether it offers a fair contest or leans heavily towards turn once again.
India will touch down in Guwahati on Wednesday and will have a couple of training days before attempting to earn series parity. It will be interesting to see how quickly the management finalises the team composition in case of Gill’s absence, and bounce back to level the two-Test series.