Shubman Gill Faces Injury Ahead of ODI Series Against West Indies

Injury Scare for Shubman Gill Before ODI Series

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], September 25: Shubman Gill, the captain of India's ODI and Test teams, sustained a hit to his right elbow while practicing in the nets on Friday, just two days prior to the first ODI against the West Indies, as reported by a sports news outlet.

During a training session, Gill was batting against Mohammed Siraj when a rising delivery struck his elbow. He immediately stepped away in discomfort and received attention from the team's physiotherapist.

Siraj checked on Gill, followed by Virat Kohli, who was also practicing nearby. Gill was seen sitting down, holding his elbow, while the support staff applied a strap to his arm.

He did not resume batting for the rest of the session and focused on recovery instead. Fortunately, he appeared to be in better spirits later, sharing a light moment with Gurnoor Brar before leaving the field.

With just over a day left to recover, Gill is expected to be ready for the three-match ODI series against the West Indies starting on Sunday.

This injury comes after Gill had previously injured his ring finger during practice ahead of India's Test series in Sri Lanka last month, from which he recovered in time to participate in both Tests.

Before the incident, Gill had been performing well, arriving early for practice and batting alongside Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. He faced some challenges from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was generating good bounce, but he also found success against Gurnoor, hitting several boundaries.

India has faced multiple injury issues this year, with players like Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, and Washington Sundar missing matches during the limited-overs tour of England. While Bumrah and Reddy have returned, Hardik Pandya and Rana are still out.

Addressing the injury situation, bowling coach Morne Morkel expressed the desire to field the strongest possible team but acknowledged that injuries are an unfortunate part of the sport.

“You always want your best XI on the field,” Morkel stated. “Unfortunately, injuries happen at times we wish they wouldn’t. However, we have excellent backup players ready to step in, providing them with a chance to showcase their skills for India.”

“Ideally, we hope to resolve all injury issues soon so we can move forward positively later in the year,” he added.

India is set to clash with the West Indies in the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.

West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (captain), Jewel Andrew, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales.