Guwahati, 21 Nov

India captain Shubman Gill was on Friday released from the Test squad ahead of the second match against South Africa starting Saturday.

Gill suffered a neck spasm while batting in thefirst innings of the opening Test in Kolkata and was hospitalised. In his absence, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will lead the team in the second Test.

“Team India captain Shubman Gill, who suffered aneck injury during the first Test against South Africa, has been ruled out of the second Test in Guwahati,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.

Gill was taken to hospital for examination after play ended on Day 2 of the Kolkata Test. He was discharged the next day and travelled to Guwahati on 19 November, 2025.

“Unfortunately, he was not fully fit to feature in the 2nd Test and will head to Mumbai for further assessment of his injury,” the statement said.

It is unclear whether Gill will be available for the upcoming ODI series. “We don’t want recurrence of spasm during the game,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Thursday.

South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0 after their win at Eden Gardens.