Shubman Gill was released from the squad on Friday, November 21, and left for Mumbai ahead of the Guwahati Test. The captain travelled with the team to Guwahati on November 19, but could not participate in the practice session on November 20. It is learned that he will be resting at home for the next two to three days before seeking a specialist opinion from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala.
As of now, there is no trip planned to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) and more clarity is expected in the coming days. Pant will lead the Test squad in Guwahati in the absence of Gill against South Africa, starting November 22, according to the Times of India.
Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy are likely to be picked in the squad for the second Guwahati test, with Axar Patel likely to return on the bench. During the training session, only KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan turned up as the rest took it easy.
Meanwhile, India lost their first Test at the Eden Gardens. Guwahati is expected to roll out a red soil pitch which will both turn and bounce. It may not be a unplayable as Eden but will keep the spinners in play.