Follow UsIn what comes as concerning news for team India, reports have emerged claiming that Shubman Gill’s neck injury is more serious than initially feared, and that’s set to rule him out for the white-ball series against South Africa as well.
According to a Times of India report, Gill has actually been dealing with a nerve-related issue rather than just a neck spasm. He’s still being monitored and is almost certain to miss the white-ball series against the Proteas starting in a week’s time.
“All tests are being conducted to determine whether it’s a muscular strain or a nerve-related issue,” TOI quoted a BCCI source as saying.
“Gill has received an injection to manage symptoms and will need rest before starting rehabilitation. There is a strong possibility he may miss the T20I series as well.”
Gill being ruled out will mean India will need a new captain for the ODIs, but the complication is that vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is also dealing with an injury. Thus, TOI and PTI have both reported that KL Rahul will be the man who will likely lead the Men in Blue in the 50-over games.
Last week, certain reports suggested that Rishabh Pant, who is leading India in the ongoing Guwahati Test, could also end up leading in the ODIs, but according to the latest reports, the management is likely to proceed with Rahul, who is already a part of the ODI set-up, unlike Pant, who last played an ODI in August 2024.
Rahul is no stranger to captaincy. The 33-year-old has led India in 16 international matches and has captained the country in all three formats. He’s captained the country in 12 ODIs previously as well, and incidentally, his last captaincy stint was also against South Africa, albeit in an away series. The Men in Blue won that series 2-1 with Rahul captaining the team in all three matches.
The three-match ODI series will start from November 30 in Ranchi.