Ace batter Shubman Gill likely to miss out on the second Test against Australia

The Indian all-format specialist opener Shubman Gill suffered a finger injury during an intra-squad match which made him unavailable for the first Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Test in Perth. With over a week to go for the second Test, the swashbuckling opener still remains doubtful and is unlikely to recover before the upcoming pink-ball Test in Adelaide. 

The 25-year-old will be rested during a two-day practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI at Canberra, starting on November 30. 

Way forward for Shubman Gill

A close aide of Shubman Gill revealed to TOI that even if the opener gets fit, he will need to partake in a practice match before featuring in the BGT test series. 

Gill has been advised by the medical team to rest for a period of at least two weeks while he continues to be in close supervision of the medical staff. 

“Gill was told to take a 10-14 day rest by a medical specialist after his finger injury. He will not be a part of the Playing XI in the practice and is doubtful for the second Test of the series. We will have to wait and see the speed of his recovery. Even if Gill is declared fit, he will need practice before playing a contest.”

Will Gill play any role at all in the ongoing BGT series?

Former Mumbai and India selector Jatin Paranjape fears that the 25-year-old could miss a major chunk of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy Test series. 

Paranjape explained that players need somewhere between two to four weeks to recover from finger injuries which effectively means that Gill could miss at least two or three red-ball matches in the series. 

“You need two to four weeks to recover from finger injuries. Gill could miss two to three red-ball matches.”

Meanwhile, India will be boosted by the arrival of the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma who will be back after a refreshing paternity leave. In his absence, Bumrah scripted a win for the ages as India crushed the hosts ruthlessly in the Perth Test by 295 runs to take an early 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series. 

See also: 'We're still no.1' Cummins refutes rift claims despite a brutal 295-run hammering at Perth