India captain Shubman Gill was discharged from hospital in Kolkata on Sunday after a neck injury forced him to withdraw from the first Test against South Africa and left the hosts severely depleted following a 30-run defeat at the Eden Gardens. Gill, who left injured after facing only three balls on Day 2, was diagnosed with a severe neck spasm and ruled out before the start of the third day of play. His absence in the second innings proved costly as India were bowled out for just 93 to concede a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly visited Gill at Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital soon after the defeat and confirmed that the opener was stable but still under observation. Although he has now been released, Gill’s availability for the second Test in Guwahati, which begins on November 22, remains uncertain. According to reports, doctors have advised him to avoid commercial air travel during his recovery, so he is unlikely to join the unit on their flight on Wednesday. He is also expected to miss India’s final training session in Kolkata on Tuesday.
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Head coach Gautam Gambhir admitted that Gill’s absence has deeply affected India’s chase. “It was tough because we always knew we were one down,” Gambhir said. “To lose two before lunch meant we were literally three down. A couple of partnerships could have put us in the game.”If Gill doesn’t recover in time, India may turn to B Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal. Sudharsan has impressed against the West Indies before but has recently struggled for India A, while Padikkala’s recent returns have been modest. Any such change would leave India heavily stacked with left-handers – a concern after South African offspinner Simon Harmer dismissed six southpaws in the match.
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Gill’s injury comes amid a phase of intense workload after months of non-stop cricket across formats. He previously missed the October 2024 Test due to a similar neck problem.Meanwhile, Ganguly weighed in on the spin Eden Gardens surface, calling it “not the best Test wicket”, but insisted India should still have overhauled the modest 124-run target. He also urged the team to go back to crushing wins over five days instead of relying on sharp turns.The loss, India’s fourth at home in six Tests, again raised nagging questions about the batting line-up’s struggles with rank-and-file spinners – with Gill’s fitness now the biggest concern heading into Guwahati.
