India Face Major Scare as Captain Shubman Gill Taken to Hospital With Neck Injury During 1st Test

India suffered a major blow on Saturday evening after captain Shubman Gill was rushed off the field in an ambulance with his neck secured in a stabilising brace, following a freak on-field injury on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. What initially looked like a minor issue quickly escalated into a serious medical concern, leaving India uncertain about their skipper’s participation in the remainder of the match.

Gill was injured while attempting a slog-sweep off Simon Harmer early in India’s first innings. Although the shot raced away for four, he immediately clutched the back of his neck and signalled for help. After a brief assessment by the physio, he walked off on 4 (3 balls), and the situation appeared precautionary at the time.

Hours later, however, the atmosphere shifted dramatically when Gill was seen being moved on a stretcher, fitted with a cervical collar, and taken into an ambulance outside the stadium, as reported by PTI.
According to Rev Sports, he was admitted to Woodlands Hospital for overnight observation.

The visuals sparked widespread concern about the severity of his injury. The BCCI later clarified that Gill was suffering from a neck spasm and was under close medical monitoring.

India’s assistant coach Morne Morkel suggested the issue might have developed before play began:
“It could simply be a bad night’s sleep,” he said, adding that Gill is meticulous about his fitness and that the timing was “just unfortunate.”

Gill has endured a grueling workload in recent months—leading India through a taxing home series against England, followed by the Australia limited-overs tour, before returning to Kolkata with virtually no break and joining training on Tuesday.

The skipper’s exit came at a tense stage of the innings, shortly after Harmer dismissed Washington Sundar (29) with a classic off-break, caught at slip by Aiden Markram. With the pitch assisting spin and South Africa building pressure, India were relying heavily on Gill to stabilise the innings.

Instead, the alarming sight of their captain being taken for medical evaluation cast a shadow over the evening. With Day 3 likely to shape the direction of the Test, India now await further updates on Gill’s condition.