Huge blow for India! Shubman Gill stretchered into ambulance, admitted to Kolkata hospital with neck injury

India faced a serious scare on Saturday evening when skipper Shubman Gill was taken off the field by ambulance and pinned in a neck-stabilising brace, ending their innings prematurely following an unexpected injury on the field on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. What started as a brief interruption in play turned into a worrying medical situation, leaving the home team uncertain about their captain’s ability to continue participating in the match.

Gill sustained the injury while attempting a tricky sweep against Simon Harmer early in India’s first innings. The pitch, hit cleanly for four runs, caused him to almost immediately recoil in pain as his right hand moved to the back of his neck as he signaled for help. After a quick assessment by the team’s physiotherapist, the opener walked off the field in four overs, having faced just three balls. It seemed like a standard precaution at the time.

However, the atmosphere changed dramatically when Gill was spotted again hours later, news agency PTI reported; not in training gear, but on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace, and being taken to an ambulance outside the stadium.

Rev Sports stated that Gill was transferred to Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata and is expected to stay there overnight for observation.

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The footage immediately raised concern about the severity of the injury, which appeared to be more serious than initially thought. BCCI later confirmed that he was suffering from neck spasm and he was kept under close medical observation.

India assistant coach Morne Morkel suggested that the problem may have been triggered even before Gill took the field.

“We need to understand how it starts. It could just be a bad night’s sleep,” Morkel said, downplaying fears of overload. “Gill manages his fitness extremely well. It was just unfortunate timing more than anything.”

For India, Gill’s exit came at a critical juncture in the innings. Just a few minutes earlier, Harmer had broken a resilient partnership by dismissing Washington Sundar for 29 with his classic off-spin drift and turn from Aiden Markram’s slip. With possession of the ball and South Africa applying pressure, India relied on their captain to stabilize the innings.

As Day 3, which is expected to be decisive for the match, approaches, the team is now anxiously awaiting updates on their captain’s condition.

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