Shubman Gill experienced a neck spasm during the opening Test match against South Africa in Kolkata and subsequently had to be hospitalized when his discomfort continued. He was evidently in no condition to continue playing after he had retired to the dressing room and was soon ruled out. Even his presence for the second Test remains uncertain as he will require some more days for recuperation.
At this point, it appears that Gill will not recuperate in time, and, as a consequence, will be advised to rest rather than risk aggravating the situation. Therefore, India will have to come up with a proper replacement for Gill not only in the squad but also in the playing eleven. There are some candidates in the team already but they might have to call someone from outside for tactical reasons as well.
We shall consider three batters who can step into Shubman Gill’s shoes for the second Test against South Africa.
Players Who Can Replace Shubman Gill in The Second Test
Sai Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan is perhaps the most obvious replacement for Gill in the playing eleven after having been out for the first Test. They had No.3 earmarked for him but the management opted for Washington Sundar at that spot and instead added another spin-bowling all-rounder in the lower order. However, he might be coming in the XI now as he has surpassed the pecking order and is likely to occupy the No.4 slot.
Sudharsan unveiled some promise in his display against the West Indies, and his being dropped from the team came as a shock because he was really not a bad batter; even though a hundred did not come, the facts were there. Moreover, there is a chance of him occupying the third position, with Wasi Sundar either shifting to the fourth spot or going lower in the order after the main batsmen. Naturally, Sudharsan is a top-order batter who may feel more at home at No.3 right off than going below it.
Devdutt Padikkal
If the team really needs a middle-order batsman at No.4, Devdutt Padikkal will surely be a better pick than Sai Sudharsan. He has got more experience of middle-order batting as he has been playing that position for his domestic team and India A. Obviously, heanyway prefers No.3, but his previous exposure makes him more suited than Sudharsan for that No.4 slot, and he batted here against South Africa A recently.
Padikkal is a better spin player than Sudharsan which will help him to counter the quality South African slow bowlers who clearly know how to operate on a subcontinent soil. He has performed well in past on such tricky pitches and his selection also based on those performances in precarious situations. India had opted for Sudharsan in the XI; however, Padikkal brings high red ball skills and the capacity to accumulate runs on any sort of pitches, at least in the case of home conditions.
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Kumar Reddy was dropped from the team to play in the ‘A’ series against South Africa A, but he may be brought back for the second match. The likelihood of him getting a slot in the XI for the Guwahati Test is quite high due to several reasons. To begin with, he is a bowling and batting all-rounder who is a right-handed batsman, which is a type India needs to fight against the South African spinners, particularly Simon Harmer who was very comfortable bowling to a variety of left-handed batsmen in the first test.
In the event of his playing, India ought to promote Dhruv Jurel to the 4th position, where Shubman Gill usually bats, and Nitish can be placed in the lower middle order, while his spin-hitting skill might be useful for India. Moreover, he gives a bowling option that is extra and can be advantageous because the Guwahati pitch will be new, and fast bowlers will get support from the conditions in this part of the world. India have been on the lookout for more multi-skilled players across formats, so that’s another box Nitish ticks as an all-rounder.
