India Captain Shubman Gill ruled out of 1st Test vs South Africa due to neck injury

Indian captain Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the remainder of the first Test against South Africa after suffering a neck injury.

India captain Shubman Gill was on Sunday ruled out of the remainder of the opening Test against South Africa here due to a neck injury.

The BCCI gave the update before start of day three.

Gill had suffered a neck injury while batting on the second day of the first Test here and was retired hurt on 4 not out.

“Captain Shubman Gill had a neck injury on Day 2 of the ongoing Test against South Africa in Kolkata. He was taken to the hospital for examination after the end of day’s play,” the team management said in a statement.

“He is currently under observation in the hospital. He will take no further part in the Test match. He will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team,” it added.

Gill was stretchered into an ambulance to be admitted to a hospital here on Saturday evening with his neck immobilised, hours after retiring hurt in India’s first innings.

The Indian captain felt pain in his neck immediately after executing a sweep for four off South Africa spinner Simon Harmer, and had left the field after receiving some initial treatment from the team’s medical staff.

Vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who led India during Gill’s absence on Saturday, would continue to lead the team for the remaining match.

India’s assistant coach Morne Morkel blamed it on bad night’s “sleep and not his workload”.

“Yeah, I think we first need to determine how he got the neck stiffness, maybe just a bad night’s sleep. I don’t think it’s, or we can put it down to the (work) load,” Morkel told the media after day two.

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