By Shamik Chakrabarty in Guwahati
Rishabh Pant was told to get ready for the big job by the Indian team management on Wednesday, even as the decision was taken that Shubman Gill would be flying with the team to Guwahati, RevSportz understands. The India captain was ready to push the envelope, but he was always fighting a losing battle in terms of getting fit for the second Test.
Playing the second Test against South Africa starting on November 22 could have been counterproductive both for Gill and the team. If he had broken down again mid-game as in Kolkata, it wasn’t only about batting; the fielding aspect also had to be taken into account, India would have suffered. As for the player, according to the specialists, he needs at least 5-7 days to be fully fit after starting his neck exercises. Eventually, the right call has been taken. Gill is ruled out of the second Test and Pant will lead. On November 18, RevSportz broke the story that Gill was all but ruled out of the Guwahati Test.
It is learnt that Gill might opt out of the three-match ODI series against South Africa that follows the Tests. He has been playing almost non-stop cricket and there’s a T20 World Cup around the corner. According to sources, if the skipper decides to sit out of the ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain) also all but ruled out, Pant could be in contention to lead the team in the upcoming series as well. KL Rahul is the other option, but nothing has been decided yet. It will depend on Gill’s recovery and whether he decides to turn up for the one-dayers. Pant wasn’t part of the squad for the ODI series in Australia as he was recovering from a foot injury.
Pant, along with his teammates, was disappointed with the 30-run defeat in the first Test at Eden Gardens. It is learnt that in the team meetings the players agreed with head coach Gautam Gambhir and didn’t blame the pitch for the loss. There was an acceptance that a target of 124 should have been chased down.
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