Gill hospitalised after suffering neck spasm

Shubman Gill's participation in the remainder of the Kolkata Test is in doubt after he was hospitalised as a precautionary measure with neck spasm. Gill was stretchered from the stadium to a private hospital for scans at the end of the second day. He was spotted wearing a neck brace and was accompanied by the team doctor and a security liaison officer out of the stadium.

Gill felt discomfort three balls into his innings after unfurling a sweep to get off the mark with a boundary off Simon Harmer, and immediately called for the physio as he clutched the back of his neck.

Gill was quick to leave the field, retired hurt, and didn't return to bat as India were bowled out for 189.

"Shubman Gill has a neck spasm and is being monitored by the BCCI medical team," the BCCI said after the first session.

Before the day's play, Gill was spotted by the broadcasters doing neck exercises in front of the coaching staff and a member of the medical team. In October 2024, too, he missed a Test against New Zealand due to neck stiffness.

Terming the injury as "unfortunate", India bowling coach Morne Morkel ruled out major concerns when asked about Gill's workload and participation.

"Gill is a very fit guy, he looks after himself very well," Morkel said. "So, it's just unfortunate this morning that he woke up with a stiff neck and that carried him into the day, which was crucial for us. Another sort of partnership with him batting around was going to be needed for us at the time and... just bad timing."

If he returns to bat in the Test, it may not be at No. 4 since it wasn't an external injury.

Gill's injury scare comes at a time when his workload has been under constant monitoring. He has played non-stop cricket across formats since IPL 2025 and was among four Test players who flew to Kolkata straight from Australia after the T20I series.

In Gill's absence, Rishabh Pant captained the side during South Africa's second innings. Ravindra Jadeja's 4 for 29 put a leash on them, reducing the visitors to 93 for 7 by stumps, ahead by only 63 runs.