India walked into Guwahati hoping for clarity, confidence and maybe a spark of good news. Instead, they were hit with another setback.
Skipper Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa due to a neck injury sustained during the first Test at Eden Gardens. With the series on the line and India desperate to avoid a second straight home whitewash, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Gill, who had travelled to Guwahati with the squad, has now been released and sent to Mumbai for specialist consultation to decide his recovery plan.
Pant Takes Charge in a Defining Moment
With Gill unavailable, Rishabh Pant will captain India in the second Test — becoming the country’s seventh Test captain in the past five years.
Speaking ahead of the match, Pant revealed the emotional and physical struggle behind Gill’s decision to pull out.
Shubman was keen to play the match. He showed resilience even when his body was not permitting. We have decided on who will play in the playing eleven in place of Shubman. The person who will play in the match knows he is playing.
Despite the pressure of a must-win encounter, Pant struck a calm note about leadership.
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.
He added: “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-the-box thinking. I want to have a nice balance and blend both when captaining.”
Batting Fragility and Team Changes
India’s vulnerabilities against spin, already exposed in the New Zealand series, were brutally highlighted again in the second innings collapse at Eden Gardens. Without Gill, the pressure on the batting unit intensifies.
KL Rahul is expected to open again with Yashasvi Jaiswal, while Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to be drafted into the XI to bolster the all-round options.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir now faces a crucial challenge: building a batting lineup capable of withstanding South Africa's spin threat, led by the brilliant Simon Harmer.
South Africa Also Hit, But Remain Ruthless
South Africa, despite riding high after a historic first Test win in India, their first in the country in 15 years, will be without their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has been ruled out with a rib bone stress injury.
The injury has been closely monitored by the Proteas medical team, and due to ongoing discomfort in the affected area, Rabada has been withdrawn from the remainder of the tour. He will continue the initial phase of his four-week rehabilitation program with the Proteas medical team before returning to South Africa at the conclusion of the second Test.
Lungi Ngidi has been drafted in as cover and is strongly backed by captain Temba Bavuma.
I think he wasn’t under any delusions about him not being included within this Indian team squad. Communication is a big thing within the team. When Lungi was bowling yesterday, he was bowling as well as he’s ever bowled… We’d like to feed off that confidence and the opportunity for him to do well.
South Africa Smell History
Fresh from drawing 1-1 in Pakistan, South Africa now have a rare chance: a first Test series win in India since 2000. And Bavuma made it clear his side will not sit back and defend their lead.
Ultimately, every game you’ve got to play to win. Our mindset is not on protecting the lead that we have. We want to play from the front. Whatever opportunities are there within the game, we’ll look to be ruthless and take them.
Pitch, Conditions and the Coming Battle
Bavuma also shared his reading of the Guwahati surface, suggesting a more traditional Test wicket.
This wicket looks a lot fresher and will be more consistent compared to Kolkata. It will be good for batting your first two days, and then on day three, the spinners should come into play.
He added: “The first innings becomes crucial from a batting point of view to really set the game up. And your spinners… have them come into the game within the second or later half of the game.”
Final Word: Two Teams, Two Mindsets
India enter the match bruised, depleted and facing questions about their dominance at home. South Africa walk in confident, composed and with history within sight. One team is fighting to save pride. The other is chasing immortality. And Guwahati is set to be the battleground.
Probable playing XIs: India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt.), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
