Overview
- Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury in Kolkata and, per PTI citing CAB sources, has been advised rest and not to fly, leaving him unlikely to travel for the Nov 22 Test.
- India held an optional, spin-heavy training session at Eden Gardens before flying out, with Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja among those working extensively in the nets.
- Selectors are weighing right-handed options to offset a left-hand heavy order exploited by Simon Harmer, with reports discussing Dhruv Jurel at No. 4 or call-ups such as Abhimanyu Easwaran or Ruturaj Gaikwad; left-handers Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal remain in contention.
- Gautam Gambhir defended the Eden surface as exactly what India requested and blamed poor application, while Cheteshwar Pujara, Harbhajan Singh, Shaun Pollock and Jason Gillespie questioned the pitch quality and its impact on batting.
- India trail 0-1 in the two-Test series and must win the Guwahati finale to avoid a home series defeat, with the venue hosting a men’s Test for the first time.