The second Test will begin on November 22 in Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium.
The Indian team arrived in Guwahati for the second test against South Africa, and it included captain Shubman Gill in the contingent. Gill had missed the majority of the first Test match after he sprained his neck while batting in the first innings.
This led to Shubman Gill retiring hurt and being later admitted to a hospital in Kolkata for treatment. Gill didn’t bat in the Indian second innings, as they folded for 93 in pursuit of a 124-run target. South Africa won by 30 runs, registering their first Test win in India since 2010.
Now India will be hoping to win the second Test to level the series and avoid losing a Test series to South Africa, something that last happened in 2000.
Shubman Gill travelled to Guwahati with the rest of the India squad for the second Test, but reports stated that the neck injury that is on the mend is unlikely to fully heal before the game begins in Guwahati on Saturday.
However, Shubman Gill is desperate to play and will try his best to prove his fitness during training sessions on Thursday and Friday. According to Indian team sources, the 26-year-old Gill is still far from fully fit, with pain in the nape of his neck persisting despite a significant reduction in severity.
"Shubman has been responding well to the medical treatment provided and will travel to Guwahati with the team on 19th November, 2025. He will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team, and a decision on his participation in the 2nd Test will be taken accordingly," Devajit Saikia’s statement read as per PTI.
Gill might be clinically fit, but the strain of possibly five days of cricket could mean aggravating his neck injury and might cause more harm than benefit. Gill, known to train even on optional days, might just want to be fit enough to bat.
The PTI report also stated that Gill needs at least 10 days of complete rest to fully recover and then will need to rehab to be match-ready. And if he plays the second Test, the BCCI selectors might be tempted to rest him from the three-ODI series against South Africa, beginning on November 30.
Gill cannot feasibly play the second Test, three ODIs, and five T20Is in the next four weeks, much less the plane miles involved. It may easily backfire, and in the grand scheme of things, the developing leader would benefit from a break for both his own and the team's sake.
(PTI inputs)