Shubman Gill Released From India Squad Ahead of Guwahati Test; Rishabh Pant to Lead vs South Africa

In a major development ahead of the second Test in Guwahati, India captain Shubman Gill has been released from the squad and has already left for Mumbai on Friday. Gill had travelled with the team to Guwahati on November 19 but did not attend training on November 20, raising early concerns over his fitness.

Gill to consult Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala

Sources told TimesofIndia.com that Gill will rest in Mumbai for the next 2–3 days before seeking a specialist opinion from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, the noted BCCI-affiliated sports medicine expert.
As of now, no visit to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru is planned. Further clarity on his condition is expected in the coming days.

Pant to lead India in crucial second Test

With Gill unavailable, Rishabh Pant will lead India in the must-win second Test against South Africa starting November 22.

The team management is set to make tough selection decisions. As previously reported:

• Sai Sudharsan

• Nitish Kumar Reddy

are the leading contenders to enter the XI, while Axar Patel is likely to stay on the bench despite being available.

At India’s light optional training session on the eve of the match, only KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sai Sudharsan attended, with the rest of the squad opting for rest.

Kotak explains Eden Gardens pitch meltdown

India’s innings defeat inside three days in Kolkata brought intense scrutiny on the Eden Gardens pitch, which crumbled rapidly and offered exaggerated turn far earlier than expected.

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, speaking ahead of the Guwahati Test, admitted that the surface behaved unnaturally:

“After a day, it felt like the wicket was crumbling. A bit of soil came up after the ball pitched. That was not expected,” Kotak said.
“Even if spin was expected, it should’ve come on day three evening. The curators did not want it to play this way. No one wanted it to be like this.”

Guwahati pitch expected to be a fairer contest

The Barsapara Stadium is preparing a red-soil surface that will offer both turn and bounce, but not the extreme deterioration seen at Eden. Spinners will remain in play, but conditions are expected to be far more predictable.

India enter the match 0–1 down in the series, making the Guwahati Test a virtual must-win.