Tension in the Indian squad has increased ahead of the three-match home ODI series against West Indies. During a training session, captain Shubman Gill sustained an injury to his right elbow bone.
The first match of the series between India and West Indies is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, in Tiruvannanthapuram. Gill's injury occurred during team practice on Friday, two days before the match.
Shubman Gill was practicing shots against the right fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. During this drill, a sharply bouncing ball hit him directly in the right elbow. After the impact, Gill appeared to be in pain and left the net. The team's physiotherapists examined him, and Siraj immediately learned of his condition. Virat Kohli, who was training in the adjacent net, also approached Gill.
After sustaining the injury, Shubman Gill sat in another part of the net, holding his elbow and clearly suffering from pain. The coaching staff bandaged his arm. He did not participate further in the training and spent the rest of the session recovering. However, by the end of the training, his condition seemed slightly improved. Shubman chatted and joked with Gurunoor Baar, and he did not look overly upset when leaving the field. Nevertheless, his physical readiness remains a critical issue before the first ODI.
Gill's Injury Concerns
This is the second consecutive instance where an injury has caused concern before a series for Shubman Gill. Last month, during training in Sri Lanka, a ball hit his ring finger. Despite this injury, he recovered in time and participated in two matches of the Test series. Before Friday's training, Shubman looked in good form. He was one of the first batsmen to come out for practice along with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ritardh Gaikwad.
Nitish Kumar Reddy also caused Shubman concern with his high bounce. After this, Shubman initially played cautiously against Gurunoor Baar but then demonstrated several excellent shots. The injury forced him to end the training session earlier than planned.
Shubman Gill's injury occurred at a time when the Indian team was already facing fitness difficulties with several players. During the tour of England, the availability of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, and Washington Sundar was affected by injuries. The team's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, acknowledged that India aims to take the field with the strongest available squad. He also noted that injuries are part of the game, and such situations give other players a chance to establish themselves for India.
How Soon Will Hardik Pandya Be Fit?
Meanwhile, the health status of all-rounder Hardik Pandya has further heightened the concerns of the team management. Hardik was supposed to participate in the three-match series against Australia-A as part of the India-A tournament, but he was excluded from these matches due to pain in his right shin. Constant efforts have been made to recover Hardik in recent months. He worked on his physical conditioning at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) and was approaching a return to competitive cricket. However, the recurrence of the injury has once again postponed his return plans.
The BCCI medical team advised him to rest following a recent scan. It is likely that Hardik Pandya will also be unable to participate in the five-match T20 series against New Zealand. Although India is set to play ODI matches on the tour of New Zealand, selectors may wait for his full recovery instead of rushing his return. Hardik's return is crucial for the Indian team, as he is indispensable in both batting and bowling.
