India vs South Africa: Rishabh Pant Likely To Join MS Dhoni In Elite List Amidst Shubman Gill's Injury Concerns

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Amidst the ongoing question mark around Shubman Gill's availability for the second Test against South Africa, India will seek to secure a much-needed win at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati to make the series 1-1. As per India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, Shubman will undergo a fitness Test on Friday to check his readiness for the five-day encounter.

The BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) sports science team is waiting as long as possible before taking a final call on Gill, as per a report from PTI.

"See, he is definitely recovering really well, because I also met him yesterday," Kotak said ahead of a practice session that Gill skipped. Now, the decision will be taken tomorrow evening, because the physios and doctors have to decide whether, even if he is fully recovered, there's a chance of the spasm recurring during the match. That is very important."

Also Read: Targeting Gambhir is an agenda, Kotak says

Rishabh Pant Likely To Join Dhoni In This List

The dynamic wicketkeeper-batter from Delhi is likely to become the second wicketkeeper-batter to captain the Indian Test team after the legendary MS Dhoni. Pant will mark the record books as India’s 38th Test captain.

Kotak also talked about how match-altering was Gill's absence in the first Test.

"In the last game, nobody discussed much about what our chances would have been had Shubman batted in both innings," he said.

"The second innings may not have even mattered. If in the first innings he had batted and we had one partnership, with a 100-run lead, we would have been fine. That's not an excuse, but a reality that he couldn't bat in two innings."

Also Read: Rabada likely to play Guwahati Test | report

The report in PTI stated that Gill probably needs 10 days to fully recover and then complete his rehabilitation to be match-ready. But if he plays the Test match, the logical step for the selectors would be to rest him from the three-match ODI series against the Proteas starting November 30 in Ranchi.

Inputs from PTI