Pant to captain India in the Guwahati Test against South Africa in Gill’s absence

Guwahati, Nov 21 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Rishabh Pant will captain India in the second Test against South Africa beginning at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday. Pant steps in to lead India in the must-win game following regular skipper Shubman Gill suffering a neck injury in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“Shubman was keen to play the match. He showed resilience even when his body was not permitting. We have taken a decision on who will play in the playing eleven in place of Shubman. The person who will play in the match knows he is playing,” said Pant in the pre-match press conference on Friday.

Though Gill’s availability was always in doubt despite travelling to Guwahati with the Indian team, it is understood that he is likely to be released from the squad to rest and seek a specialist consultation in Mumbai for chalking out further course of recovery.

It also means that he’s in serious doubt to play in the subsequent ODI series against the Proteas, starting on November 30. For now, Pant will become India’s 38th Test captain and just the second wicketkeeper-batter after MS Dhoni to lead the side in the longer format.

Pant is now set to be India’s seventh Test captain in the last five years and his task will be to ensure India gets a series-levelling win in Guwahati’s debut as a Test venue after suffering a 30-run defeat in Kolkata.

“I don’t want to overthink. We had a tough first Test and we need to do whatever is required to win the Test. A one-off match is not the best scenario for a captain, but I am thankful to the BCCI for giving me this honour.”

“Sometimes if you think too much about big occasions, it doesn’t help. I want to be conventional and also blend it with out-of-box thinking. I want to have nice balance and blend both when captaining,” added Pant.

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