Shubman Gill’s chances of playing the second Test against South Africa are getting remote by the day but the team management is not losing hope.
The Team India captain didn’t practice with the team on Thursday and could undergo a fitness test on Friday morning in a last-ditch attempt to play the game.
If Gill fails to recover from the neck spasms he suffered last week during the Eden Gardens Test, vice-captain Rishabh Pant will stand in as captain in Guwahati.
It is understood that if the medical team feels that Gill is at risk of aggravating the injury, he will not participate. The doctors have advised more rest. The development could also impact his selection in the ODI squad for the three matches against South Africa starting on November 30.
Sai Sudarshan could replace Gill while Nitish Reddy is likely to come in place of Axar Patel.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said at a new conference that the team would not risk playing him if there was any chance of the spasm recurring.
“He is definitely recovering really well,” Kotak said. “Now, the decision (whether to play him or not) will be taken tomorrow evening. The physios, doctors, they will have to take a call that, if he is fully recovered, he should not get that spasm again,” Kotak said on Thursday.
“If we have a, guarantee that, very likely, he won’t have this issue again, then he will play. If there is a doubt, then I am sure, he will take rest for one more game, because it won’t be helpful to the team.”
He expressed confidence in the bench strength. “But if he is missing out because of injury, we have batters and plenty of good players. They are professionals; they should come and perform for the team,” Kotak said.
“We all wish he plays, but if he doesn’t, we will definitely have a good replacement and maybe the guy coming in will score a hundred... Jurel batted at No. 4, so he is one option... But until we know about Shubman, there is no point discussing who will play,” he said.
South Africa too are not ruling out Kagiso Rabada’s participation.
“We are monitoring Kagiso Rabada and we will take a call in the next 24 hours,” bowling coach Piet Botha said.