Colombo: Shubman Gill’s injury scare alarms India ahead of World Test Championship campaign

By Sanjay Menon — 6 August 2026 — 3 min read

Gill’s Training Incidents

India Test captain Shubman Gill experienced an injury scare during a training session in Colombo, raising concerns about his fitness. The incidents occurred just before India’s three-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka XI. Gill sustained two blows to his right hand during the intense session.

The first incident happened in the nets when a delivery from pacer Gurnoor Brar struck Gill on his right thumb. The 26-year-old immediately sought attention from the team physio, Kamlesh Jain, who then strapped his thumb. Despite the setback, Gill continued batting, facing both fast bowlers and spinners as part of his preparations. He batted for approximately 30-40 minutes against fast bowlers before switching to spinners alongside Devdutt Padikkal. Compared to the previous day’s session, Gill focused on his defence rather than attempting aerial shots.

Later in the session, during a slip-catching drill, Gill was struck again on the same hand after failing to gather a sharp chance cleanly. He briefly stepped away to apply an ice pack. Initial medical assessments confirmed there was no fracture or serious damage, and Gill completed the remainder of the session without significant discomfort.

Team Preparations in Colombo

The Indian team conducted a three-hour practice session at Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) for the second consecutive day. The primary focus of the session was on countering spin. On the first day, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the first to bat in the nets, but on the second day, they started against spin. Kuldeep Yadav bowled to both players, sharing a net with Ravindra Jadeja, Saransh Jain, and Manav Suthar.

Kuldeep beat Jaiswal on several occasions, and Saransh also posed a threat to the left-hander. Rahul batted fluently against the spinners, utilizing the depth of his crease for back-foot shots, including square cuts and back-foot punches. Suthar deceived Rahul with a delivery in the air, followed by Saransh beating him shortly after. Both Indian openers batted against spin for around 40 minutes before moving to throwdowns. Jaiswal then had a separate session with throwdown specialists, who were instructed to bowl short deliveries.

Other players also participated in the training. Mohammed Siraj and Auqib Nabi bowled alongside Gurnoor Brar for about 45 minutes before taking their turn to bat. Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant started with throwdowns before facing the spinners. Both wicketkeeper-batters displayed aggression against the net bowlers, particularly Pant, who hit several powerful shots straight down the ground. Pant also appeared to be in a jovial mood, sharing laughs with bowling coach Morne Morkel.

Jurel had the longest batting session among all the batters, continuing against local net bowlers after finishing with the main bowlers. Head coach Gautam Gambhir was actively involved, chatting with players between sessions and sharing smiles with Jadeja. At the end of the practice, Rahul was seen working on his sweep shots in the rough, with Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak assisting him with throwdowns. Fielding coach Shubhadeep Ghosh led close-in fielding drills, involving Gill, Rahul, Padikkal, and Jaiswal.

Significance for World Test Championship

Gill’s fitness is considered crucial as India prepares for their 2025-27 World Test Championship campaign in Sri Lanka. The team aims to start the new cycle on a winning note. Gill arrives in Sri Lanka in strong form, having accumulated 1,109 runs, including six centuries, in his last 10 Tests. This will be his first red-ball outing in Sri Lanka.

The warm-up fixture is expected to be key for Gill to adjust to the local conditions before the opening Test, which is scheduled for August 15.

Source: m.rediff.com