Sai Sudharsan to Devdutt Padikkal, players who can replace Shubman Gill in 2nd Test vs South Africa

After suffering a neck injury during the Kolkata Test against South Africa, Gill was admitted to a hospital for treatment. However, he was reportedly discharged on Sunday and a video of him coming out of the hospital also went viral, wherein he can be seen wearing a cervical collar.

Now that it is uncertain that Gill will be playing the second match in Guwahati, starting November 22. So, who can replace him in the squad? Since Rishabh Pant is the vice-captain, he is expected to take over the captaincy in the absence of Gill, but Team India will require a perfect replacement of Gill as a top-order batter.

Devdutt Padikkal is also a part of the Indian Test squad for South Africa. Padikkal has played just one Test for India and that was against England in Dharamsala in 2024, where he scored 65 runs in the first innings.

If Gill gets ruled out of the 2nd game against the Proteas, BCCI and team management might bring Karun Nair into action, who has been in magnificent form in recent days. In the Ranji Trophy, Nair has scored one double century, one century, and a couple of fifties.

Sarfaraz Khan is another option for Gill's replacement. Sarfaraz has played six Tests for India, and in 11 innings, he scored 371 runs at an average of 37.10, including one century and three half-centuries.

Sai Sudharsan can also be a good option for the Guwahati Test. For India, he has played 5 Tests and in 9 innings he scored 273 runs at an average of 30.33, including two half-centuries.