1st Test: Shubman Gill admitted to hospital for neck spasm, day three availability unknown

Kolkata, Nov 15 India captain Shubman Gill has been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata after a freak neck spasm had forced him to retire hurt on four during the first day of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.

Sources familiar with the matter have told IANS that Gill has been admitted to a private hospital, which has been the designated medical partner for the ongoing game after leaving the Eden Gardens with a neck brace on. It is understood that Gill expected to spend the entire night there and be under observation, with further medical tests to be done.

The incident happened in the first session, when on the fifth ball of the 35th over, Gill played a nice sweep off South African off-spinner Simon Harmer over backward square for four. While the shot’s execution impressed the onlookers, Gill immediately clutched his neck in visible discomfort as he stood upright.

The Indian team physio Kamlesh Jain attended to Gill on the field, and the Indian skipper was clutching the left side of his neck. With Gill appearing stiff and unable to move his neck freely, he walked off the field to retire hurt for four off just three balls. He didn’t take the field for the rest of the day, with vice-captain Rishabh Pant being the stand-in skipper.

In the afternoon, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Gill was under medical observation and that a decision on his participation in the game would be taken based on further assessment. It is yet to be known if Gill will be able to play for the rest of the Test match, where South Africa reached 93/7 in their second innings and have a 63-run lead over India.

During the second session, fresh broadcast visuals suggested that Gill’s neck issue had been troubling him even before the second day’s play began. As per the visuals, Gill was seen performing neck-loosening drills in front of the physio and coaches, and was grimacing in movement.

India bowling coach Morne Morkel refused to blame the freak injury on Gill’s recent heavy workload of playing all three formats in India and overseas. “I think we first need to determine how he got the neck stiffness. Maybe, (it was) just a bad night’s sleep.”

“I don’t think we can put it down to the load (workload). Shubman is a very fit guy. He looks after himself very well. So it was just unfortunate this morning that he woke up with a stiff neck, and that carried into the day, which was crucial for us. Another partnership with him was what we needed at the time,” said Morkel in the post-day press conference.

Gill previously suffered from a stiff neck in the lead-up to India’s first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru in October 2024, which eventually ruled him out of the clash. The same issue had led to Gill missing the second T20I against Sri Lanka at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in July 2024.

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