India will be without Shubman Gill on Day 4 of the 2nd Test against England as the BCCI informed of a slight injury picked up by the young opener ahead of the start of play on Monday. Gill hurt his finger while fielding on Day 2 and would not take the field on what could be the final day of the Visakhapatnam Test.
“Shubman Gill hurt his right index finger while fielding on Day 2. He won’t be taking the field today,” the BCCI said in a post via X.
While the nature of the injury is not confirmed, the injury isn’t expected to be serious as Gill had no problems while batting on Day 3 as he went on to score his 3rd Test century. Surprisingly, there was no mention of any injury by either Gill or through his body language. He looked at ease while batting, en route to scoring an impressive 104 that propelled India’s lead to almost 400. Gill’s place was taken in the field by Sarfaraz Khan, who earned his maiden India call-up a few days before the 2nd Test.
What Shubman Gill’s injury could mean for India
If it does go bad though, Gill’s injury could mean a lot worse for India, who are already grappling with the unavailability of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, nursing injuries of their own. Apparently, Jadeja is out of the series – gone for good – and even though Rahul is likely to return for the Rajkot Test starting February 15, India can really do without another injury concern. It took Gill 11 months to strike form and peel off a century, and India would need him to carry on until Virat Kohli’s impending return, which is another mystery in itself.
More importantly, India would miss Gill in the slip cordon, as he has easily been the team’s best fielding at that position. He has taken 15 matches in 21 Tests, and going by what’s transpired in the first half an hour of the day, Gill’s absence is already being felt. Rehan Ahmed was batting on 19 when he edged to first slip, where Rohit Sharma out down a sharp chance. To run salt into the wounds, the ball sped to the boundary. Thankfully, India did not have to pay dearly – not yet – as Axar Patel got the nightwatchman out LBW two balls later.
