IND vs SA: "I had to go to the hospital..."- Shubman Gill opens up on his neck injury that kept him out of South Africa tests and ODIs

Shubman Gill sustained a neck injury in the Kolkata test against South Africa.

India‘s T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill made his comeback to international cricket after recovering from a neck injury that he suffered in the first test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens. Gill had to miss the second test and all three ODIs but was declared fit for the T20Is.

Gill replaced Sanju Samson in the opening slot during the Asia Cup that India won. However, he has not been able to deliver an opener. Before the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the T20Is against South Africa will be important for the him to establish himself in the team.

“I am fine”- Shubman Gill after his return from injury

Confirming his full fitness, Shubman Gill said, “I am fine, spent a bit of time at the COE. Perfectly fine physically and mentally, too.” He further discussed the details of his injury. “I had a kind of disc bulge in my neck that was hitting my nerves.

I had a bit of a spasm before the start of play that morning, and when I played the match, I strained my neck and the bulge hit the nerve, so I had to go to the hospital for a couple of days,” said the vice captain. He experienced an issue with his neck while batting in the first innings of the Kolkata test.

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Shubman Gill reflects on the tour so far

The Indian test skipper lamented the series loss against South Africa but appreciated the response in the ODI series in his absence, as he said:

“Watching from the sidelines, the Test matches didn’t go pretty well, but we did very well in the ODIs.”

“Hopefully, we do well in the T20Is. We have 10 T20s before the start of the World Cup. We will find the momentum and rhythm, hopefully. Momentum is one thing we want to strive for. We want to find the right combinations for different surfaces that we might encounter in the World Cup,” concluded Gill.

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