Injured Gill out of second Test, Pant to lead India against South Africa

Rishabh Pant will captain India in the second Test against South Africa beginning at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday. Pant steps in to lead India in the must-win game following regular skipper Shubman Gill suffering a neck injury in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“Shubman was keen to play the match. He showed resilience even when his body was not permitting. We have taken a decision on who will play in the playing eleven in place of Shubman. The person who will play in the match knows he is playing,” said Pant in the pre-match press conference on Friday.

Though Gill’s availability was always in doubt despite travelling to Guwahati with the Indian team, it is understood that he is likely to be released from the squad to rest and seek a specialist consultation in Mumbai for chalking out further course of recovery.

It also means that he’s in serious doubt to play in the subsequent ODI series against the Proteas, starting on November 30. For now, Pant will become India’s 38th Test captain and just the second wicketkeeper-batter after MS Dhoni to lead the side in the longer format.

Pant is now set to be India’s seventh Test captain in the last five years and his task will be to ensure India gets a series-levelling win in Guwahati’s debut as a Test venue after suffering a 30-run defeat in Kolkata.

“I don’t want to overthink. We had a tough first Test and we need to do whatever is required to win the Test. A one-off match is not the best scenario for a captain, but I am thankful to the BCCI for giving me this honour.”

“Sometimes if you think too much about big occasions, it doesn’t help. I want to be conventional and also blend it with out-of-box thinking. I want to have nice balance and blend both when captaining,” added Pant.

Meanwhile, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said his side will play in a ruthless way in the second Test against India, and look to seize every opportunity in their quest to get a 2-0 series win.

“Ultimately, every game you’ve got to play to win. I think our mindset is not on protecting the lead that we have. We want to play from the front, and we will continue to do so. In terms of the game, we’ll play what’s in front of us.”

“We understand that, yes, light does become an issue, but we don’t want to go in there with that defensive type of mindset. Whatever opportunities are there within the game, we’ll look to be ruthless and take them. But if there’s an opportunity for it to be 2-0, then so be it,” Bavuma told reporters on Friday.

He also expressed full confidence in the experienced Lungi Ngidi to step up for the Proteas following the absence of Kagiso Rabada due to a rib bone stress injury.

“I think he wasn’t under any delusions about him not being included within this (original) Indian team squad. Communication is a big thing within the team.”

“I think with that being said, the guy has a lot of experience, and in a game like this where you want to be able to call upon your experience. I think it would be a little bit unfair on maybe bringing in a younger seamer to come and potentially do a role in this game.”

“When Lungi was bowling yesterday, he was bowling as well as he’s ever bowled. The last Test he played, you know, he did quite well. So, you know, there’s confidence there. We’d like to feed off that confidence and the opportunities there for him to do well,” he added.

Bavuma further said the pitch in Guwahati appeared to be a typical sub‑continental wicket offering assistance to batters in the first few days before gradually turning in favour of the spinners as the match progresses.

Agencies