Rishabh Pant Lauds Shubman Gill's Nerves Of Steel and Relentless Mindset Despite Freak Injury: 'He Was Keen On Playing This Match'

Team India Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant has hailed Shubman Gill's mindset and willingness to perform despite suffering a freak injury in the first IND vs SA Test in Kolkata.

Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury while in action against South Africa during the Kolkata Test at Eden Gardens. Gill faced just three balls before hurting his neck and was retired hurt from the competition.

The Men in Blue fell short of 30 runs and were eventually defeated by South Africa, who picked up an unassailable 1-0 lead.

Pant Salutes Gill's Courageous Readiness After Shocking Injury

Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant recently revealed that skipper Shubman Gill displayed nerves of steel as he was very eager to compete in the second IND vs SA Test match despite the freak injury he sustained in the Kolkata Test.

Pant expressed that he admired Gill's resilience despite being unfit for action and wants to incorporate a similar mindset in the team ahead of the Guwahati Test.

"I think he is doing fine; he is getting better. Actually, he was very keen on playing this test match, even though his body did not allow it.

"But, you know, from a captain's point of view, you see that a person who is leading your team, he has that resilience to whenever his body is also not supporting, but that thought that I want to push it for the team, and I want to play for the team. That is the kind of mindset we want to inculcate in the team, and he did it from the front," Rishabh Pant said at the pre-match press conference, as quoted by ANI.

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India Yet To Name Shubman Gill's Replacement for Guwahati Test

The BCCI has revealed that Shubman Gill has been released from the squad and is heading to Mumbai to undergo further assessment of his neck injury. The Indian Test and ODI captain looked in discomfort as he walked back, but had shown signs of improvement.

Upon the team's arrival in Guwahati, Shubman Gill did not have the cervical collar on his neck as he landed with the team for the second Test match. But he has now been ruled out of action.

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In terms of replacement, Rishah Pant has maintained suspense around it, as he wants it to be revealed tomorrow when the team announces its playing XI.

Dhruv Jurel is the frontrunner for the number four batting role due to his in-form performance against South Africa A. Whether they would name a replacement player or go with players in the full squad is yet to be seen.