Meanwhile, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra provided a bit of advise from head coach Gautam Gambhir on India’s workload-management challenge.
With India facing a must-win position in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, the biggest source of concern has been captain Shubman Gill’s ailment. After hurting his neck during the Kolkata Test, Gill has apparently been ruled out of the forthcoming match, raising concerns about his increasing workload across formats.
Gill’s neck spasm, which forced him to retire hurt in the first innings and miss the entire second, has sparked much interest. This is his second neck problem in just over a year, and medical professionals have recommended him to relax more to avoid worsening the ailment.
Notably, Gill has taken on significant responsibility as India’s Test and ODI captain, as well as T20I vice-captain for the 2025 Asia Cup, and as the Gujarat Titans’ IPL captain. This busy schedule sparked discussions about whether the 26-year-old requires more disciplined workload management. Chopra, speaking about the emerging narrative, shared Gambhir’s advise. According to Chopra, Gambhir said that if a player feels overworked, the IPL is the place to cut back.
“I asked this question to Gautam before the Test match against the West Indies. His point was that if you need workload management, then skip the IPL. If you don’t want to lead because leading the IPL team puts too much pressure, then don’t lead. And while playing for India, if you are fit, you are not mentally fatigued,” he said, as quoted by India Today.
Play as much as you can if there is no fitness concern: Aakash Chopra
The former added that batters in good form typically want to play as much as possible. With no major signs of burnout from Gill apart from this injury, he believes the captain should continue maximising his time in the middle, provided he stays fit.
“And as a batter, I can also second the opinion that when you are going through a good form, you really want to maximise. Because you never know when the bad form hits you and where the next one is going to come from. So, if there is no fitness concern per se and if there is no mental burnout concern that is very individual-specific, you stay with them and you play as much as you can, as often as you can,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gill’s unavailability for the Guwahati Test has forced India to now consider B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, or the returning Nitish Kumar Reddy as possible replacements.
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