Shubman Gill opens up on neck injury for first time, provides key details: 'Had a disc bulge; it hit the nerves'

Ahead of the first T20I against South Africa, Shubman Gill spoke about his neck injury and how he suffered the same during the Kolkata Test.

Ahead of the first T20I against South Africa at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, India's vice-captain Shubman Gill spoke about his neck injury for the very first time since suffering the same during the Kolkata Test against the same opponent. Gill faced just three balls in the first innings of the series opener against the Proteas, and after playing a sweep shot off the bowling of Simon Harmer, the 26-year-old was pictured holding the back of his neck as he felt some gruesome pain. This led to the physios charging out, and the Test captain was eventually ruled out of the remainder of the game.

India's Shubman Gill warms up before the start of the first T20 against South Africa. (AFP)

Gill was then ruled out of the next Test in Guwahati as well, and he also missed the three-match ODI series. The right-handed batter then made his way to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he underwent rehab, and after getting the necessary go-ahead from the medical staff, he was cleared for the T20I series.

“Body feels perfectly fine. Spent a bit of time at the CoE and perfectly fine physically and mentally, feeling ready,” said Gill during a conversation with broadcaster Murali Kartik.

“I had a kind of disc bulge in my neck, which was hitting the nerves. When I went there, I had a bit of a spasm before the start of the play in the morning. And when I played the match, I think I got a strain on my neck and got a bulge which hit the nerves. And had to go to the hospital for a couple of days, but recovered well after that,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that Gill has been playing non-stop cricket since February 2025. Champions Trophy, the Indian Premier League (IPL), five Tests against England, Asia Cup, two Tests against the West Indies and three ODIs and five T20Is against Australia, Gill has featured in all international assignments for India.

Gill flops on return

Gill did not have an ideal return for India as he managed just four runs in the first T20I, as he was dismissed on the second ball he faced off the bowling of Lungi Ngidi.

The right-hander gave himself a bit of room as he ran down the track trying to loft the ball over mid-off, but he didn't get any sort of timing, and he ended up chipping the ball straight up to Marco Jansen.

Earlier, South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl first in the opening T20I of the five-match series. India dropped Kuldeep Yadav and Sanju Samson from the playing XI as the hosts opted to play with Arshdeep Singh as the second frontline pacer alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

On the other hand, Jitesh Sharma got the nod ahead of Samson as the wicketkeeper in the playing XI.