Shubman Gill suffered a neck sprain serious enough for hospitalization in first Test in Kolkata.
Former India opener Abhinav Mukund has stated that Shubman Gill is facing too much pressure as captain in Tests and ODIs, and India shouldn’t have an all-format captain going forward.
Shubman Gill became India's Test captain before the England series and then replaced Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain recently, before the Australia white-ball tour. He is also the vice-captain of the India T20I team, which is captained by Suryakumar Yadav.
Gill recently suffered a neck sprain on day one of the first test against South Africa in Kolkata and missed the remainder of the match due to the seriousness of the injury. He has been discharged from the hospital in Kolkata but remains under observation of the BCCI medical team. His participation in the second Test in Guwahati is also under doubt.
His workload has become a point of concern since he became the Indian captain. Shubman Gill has been playing constant cricket since the IPL 2025. India toured England for a five-Test series and then hosted the West Indies at home for two Tests.
India then flew to Australia for eight five-ball games and is now playing South Africa in a two-Test series. Shubman Gill has appeared in all of the games mentioned above after becoming part of the leadership group in all formats.
"At home, everyone expects India to win—no questions asked. I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I don't think India should have an all-format captain anymore.
Split captaincy is a smart move. Shubman Gill has been given the responsibility to take on the mantle in Tests, and he will be under big pressure. This is a crucial series, and the England series was a big confidence booster for India,” Mukund said on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.
It remains to be seen whether Shubman Gill regains full fitness for the second Test or will be seen in action in the limited-overs series that follows the Tests.
(PTI inputs)