NEW DELHI : India captain Shubman Gill missed the opening day of the three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Cricket XI after suffering an injury to his right ring finger during training. The decision was confirmed at the toss on Friday morning, with KL Rahul leading the side in Gill’s absence as India opted against taking any risks ahead of the Test series.
The BCCI later confirmed that Gill’s absence was purely precautionary, adding that the medical team would continue to assess the skipper’s fitness.
“Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India’s practice on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress.”
“KL Rahul will lead the team in Gill’s absence.”
Gill’s absence came less than 24 hours after the Indian skipper endured a difficult training session in Colombo, where he suffered multiple blows to his right hand. While initial assessments ruled out any serious damage, India chose to keep their captain out of the opening day’s play with the first Test against Sri Lanka just a week away.
DOUBLE BLOW LEADS TO GILL CALL
The injury scare began during Thursday’s batting session when Gill was struck on his right hand while facing left-arm pacer Gurnoor Brar in the nets. The 26-year-old immediately received treatment from the team physio before returning to continue his batting.
Later in the day, Gill was hit again during a slip-catching drill after misjudging a sharp chance. He briefly left the field to apply ice to the affected finger before completing the remainder of the session.
With India already managing a growing injury list, the team management decided not to risk its captain in the warm-up fixture.
RAHUL TAKES CHARGE AS INDIA STAY CAUTIOUS
Gill’s absence adds to India’s fitness concerns ahead of the two-match Test series. Jasprit Bumrah has already been ruled out, while Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana are unavailable through injury. Sai Sudharsan is also recovering from a toe injury at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
The warm-up match was expected to help Gill acclimatise to Sri Lankan conditions before the opening Test in Galle on August 15. The India captain heads into the series in superb form, having scored 1,109 runs in his last 10 Tests, including six centuries.
For now, however, the responsibility rests with KL Rahul, who captained the side on Day 1 while India await further updates on Gill’s recovery over the course of the three-day fixture.
