Morne Morkel provides key update on injured Shubman Gill

While the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is less than a week away to begin, the Indian camp is not in a comfortable position due to the top-order batting confusion. Just two days before the beginning of the Perth Test, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel has brought an important update regarding injured Shubman Gill. 

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is on parental leave and will miss the first Test of the five-match Test series in Australia. Perth Stadium will host the first Test of the series, starting on November 22. The situation became tougher for the visitors when Shubman Gill got an injury on his left thumb while fielding at the slip during the intra-squad match and didn’t return to the field on the second day of the practice match. 

The 25-year-old Gill scored 28 runs in the simulation match before Navdeep Saini dismissed him. He batted in that game for the second time and scored 42 not out. As most of the Indian batting order is mostly inexperienced, Gill has to play an important role, especially in the absence of the skipper Rohit Sharma. 

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Fingers crossed: Morne Morkel

As Gill has a thumb injury, the reports suggested Gill’s absence in the five-match Test series opener and uncertainty for the second Test of the series, which has been scheduled at Adelaide Oval starting on December 6. However, the Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel is still hopeful about Gill’s participation in the upcoming Perth Test. 

Morkel claimed, “Shubman is improving on a day-by-day basis. We will take a call on the morning of the Test. He played well in the match simulation during the build-up, so fingers crossed.”

Shubman Gill: Key man during the 2020/21 Australia tour

Shubman Gill has scored 1800 runs in 29 Tests (54 innings) with an average of 36.73. The right-handed batter has hit five centuries and seven half-centuries in his Test career. 

Gill toured with the Indian team during the previous Australia tour in the 2020-21 season. He was the fourth most runs-scorer for India and the sixth most runs-scorer in the four-match Test series in that Australia tour. The right-handed batter scored 259 runs in six innings (three Tests) with an average of 51.80, including two half-centuries. He scored 30+ runs in five out of six innings, including the unforgettable 91 runs during the historic successful fourth innings chase in the Gabba Test.