India Releases Injured Captain Gill from the Test squad before the second and final match against South Africa in Guwahati. Gill suffered a neck injury on the second day of the first Test. He was taken to the hospital in Kolkata and discharged a day later.
Despite traveling to Guwahati with hope, he hasn’t fully recovered. The likelihood of him playing is very low. In his absence, his deputy, Rishabh Pant, will make his Test captaincy debut in Guwahati.
India Releases Injured Captain Gill due to neck injury
“Gill suffered a neck injury on Day 2 of the Kolkata Test and was taken to the hospital for examination after the end of the day’s play,” the BCCI’s statement said. “He was kept under observation and discharged the next day. He traveled to Guwahati on 19th November 2025. Unfortunately, he was not fully fit to participate in the second Test and will head to Mumbai for further assessment of his injury.”
Now Rishabh Pant lead the team
“Rishabh Pant will lead the team in the second Test in Gill’s absence,” the statement read. Pant will become India’s 38th Test captain and the 7th to lead the team in this format in the last five years.
“He’s doing fine, getting better. He was very eager to play this Test. I found out yesterday that I will be leading in this Test… I’ve been talking with Gill every day,” Pant said at the pre-match press conference when asked about Gill’s condition. The Indian bowling coach, Morne Morkel, noted that Gill woke up with a neck sprain last Saturday and left the field after facing only three balls.
With India Releases Injured Captain Gill, India is likely to make a few changes. Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy are expected to return to the Test side after missing the Kolkata Test.
Read also: US Approves $92.8 Million Javelin and Excalibur Sales to India