Indian Team Frets On Shubman Gill Injury, BCCI Yet To Confirm Its Nature

While the Indian cricket team in England is fretting over the fitness of opener Shubman Gill who is doubtful for the first Test against England that begins in Nottingham on August 4 and speculation is building on whether India will send a back-up, the Indian cricket board is yet to come out with an official statement on the status of the batsman's injury.

News of Gill's injury was out late on Wednesday night but there has been no official intimation from the Board although speculation is building on whether the selectors will send a replacement for the five-match Test series.

As of now, the only information available is that Gill has a leg injury. There is no information on what the injury is and in which leg.

The chairman of the selection panel, Chetan Sharma, and one other selector did not take calls from IANS on Friday even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) waits on sending out communication on the injury.

If the injury is serious, it will further weaken the already frail-looking Indian opening pair.

There has already been criticism from some former selectors over the selection of Abhimanyu Easwaran among standby players ahead of someone like Prithvi Shaw, who is in Sri Lanka with the limited-overs team. Shaw is far more experienced than Easwaran who doesn't have the performances at domestic level in recent times to justify inclusion.

If the BCCI decides to send back-up, Shaw or someone else from the Indian team in Sri Lanka, then he may not be available for the first Test or even the first two Tests if he is flown out after the conclusion of the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka on July 27.

The Board's delay in communicating on Gill's injury is not new. When pace bowler Mohammad Shami was injured in the first Test in Adelaide on the tour of Australia, there was no official information on his status of injury or replacement even after the bowler had returned home. Similar thing happened to pace bowler Umesh Yadav, who got injured in the second Test in Melbourne.