India Test captain Shubman Gill gave the team management an injury scare on Thursday after suffering two separate blows during an intense training session in Colombo. The incidents occurred on the eve of India's three-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka XI, raising concerns ahead of the Test series.
The first setback came during the net session when Gill was struck on his right thumb while facing pacer Gurnoor Brar, according to Times Now. The 26-year-old immediately called for the medical staff and briefly left the nets to have his thumb strapped by the team physio. He later returned to batting and shifted to the spin nets to complete the remainder of his practice.
Gill was involved in another scare later in the day during slip-catching drills, when he was hit on his right hand after misjudging a sharp catch. The impact forced him to pause fielding practice and apply an ice pack.
Fortunately for India, initial assessments indicated there was no fracture or structural damage, and Gill was able to complete the day's training without any major discomfort.
INJURY CONCERNS MOUNT
The latest scare comes at a crucial stage of India's preparations. With the first Test against Sri Lanka scheduled to begin in Galle on August 15, head coach Gautam Gambhir's squad is already dealing with several injury setbacks.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the two-match series due to injury, while all-rounder Washington Sundar and fast bowler Harshit Rana are also unavailable. Top-order batter Sai Sudharsan is recovering from a toe injury at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has missed the warm-up fixture.
Given the growing list of injuries, the Indian team management is expected to carefully manage player workloads during the three-day practice match beginning on Friday at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. Although Gill is expected to captain the side, his fielding workload could be monitored to avoid aggravating his hand.
India begin their 2025-27 World Test Championship campaign in Sri Lanka, and a fully fit Gill will be central to their hopes of winning the series on spin-friendly pitches.
Gill has enjoyed an outstanding run in Test cricket, scoring 1,109 runs in his last 10 matches, including six centuries. Having never played red-ball cricket in Sri Lanka before, the skipper will be eager to adapt to the conditions during the warm-up game before the series opener on August 15.
