In a last-ditch effort to be eligible for the second match, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has stated that India skipper Shubman Gill, who has not trained because of a neck spasm he suffered during the first Test against South Africa, will take a fitness test on Friday.
Gill hasn’t played in the nets since he had the spasm on the second day of the first Test. The BCCI sports science staff is holding off on making a decision for as long as possible, even though his odds are still minimal. The second and final Test gets underway on Saturday.
Ahead of a practice session that Gill skipped, Kotak said, “See, he is definitely recovering really well, because I also met him yesterday.”
“Now, the decision will be taken tomorrow evening, because the physios and doctors have to decide whether, even if he is fully recovered, there’s a chance of the spasm recurring during the match. That is very important.”
“If there is a doubt, then I am sure he will rest for one more game because it won’t help the team otherwise. A player like Shubman, and he’s the captain so any team would miss him,” Kotak added.
Kotak acknowledged the significance of Gill’s absence but said he was confident in the team’s 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.”
Kotak did not rule out the possibility of Dhruv Jurel batting at No. 4 in the second innings of the first Test in Kolkata, but he emphasized that combinations would only be explored following Gill’s fitness test.
“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.
“Once we know, and once we see the wicket tomorrow, we will think about the best combination.”
Kotak succinctly and clearly summarized the importance of Gill’s absence during the first Test.
“In the last game, nobody discussed much about what our chances would have been had Shubman batted in both innings,” he said.
“The second innings may not have even mattered. If in the first innings he had batted and we had one partnership, with a 100-run lead, we would have been fine. That’s not an excuse, but a reality that he couldn’t bat in two innings.”
