Indian opener Shubman Gill likely to be ruled out of entire Test series against Joe Root-led England: Report

KEY STORY

• With India’s first assignment of the second edition of the ICC Test Championship almost six weeks away, the Virat Kohli-led side has reportedly suffered a massive blow in the build-up to the upcoming bilateral series against England.

• Indian opener Shubman Gill is likely to be ruled out of the first match of the high-profile Test series between India and hosts England.

• Gill, who was keen on cementing his place with series of noteworthy performances has sustained an injury weeks before the start of India’s tour of England.

• Even though tried and tested opener Mayank Agarwal piled up more runs than the youngster in the inaugural Test Championship, Gill was preferred to open the innings with veteran batsman Rohit Sharma in the final of the Test Championship between India and New Zealand at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

• At a time when Gill has reportedly sustained an injury prior to the start of the England series, Agarwal is expected to receive a nod to open the innings in the 1st Test against the Joe Root-led side. According to a report filed by Cricbuzz, it has been learned that Gill is virtually out of the selection race for the 1st Test between India and hosts England.

• As per the report, Gill is tipped to be ruled out of the series opener and the injury has also cast a doubt over his participation in the remainder of the Test matches following the curtain-raiser. Gill has been reported carrying a serious internal injury that will keep him sidelined from competitive cricket.

• The nature of the injury sustained by the young opener is still unknown although the report confirmed that Gill will not return to India after receiving an early setback in England.

CONCLUSION

The report added that Gill will remain with the Indian side in England. Gill is unlikely to recover from his injury to come into India reckoning during the England Test series. According to news agency PTI, Gill could be ruled out of the whole Test tour even though it is still a month away.

“The injury is serious is what we have come to know,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying. Since his noteworthy debut against Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2020, Gill has played 8 Test matches for the Kohli-led Team India side. If Gill fails to recover in time, batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran will be considered in the main squad.