Shubman Gill likely to be ruled out for first few Tests against England: Report

In a major setback to the Indian team in England, Shubman Gill is likely to be ruled out of the first few Tests of the 2021 Pataudi Trophy.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the opening batsman is carrying a 'serious internal injury' that will keep him out of action for an extended period. The report does not clarify the nature of the injury but claims that Shubman Gill sustained it some time ago and it has been aggravated recently.

However, the youngster is likely to stay with the Virat Kohli-led contingent for the rest of the tour and could return to action in the latter half of the 5-Test series.

And we have a winner!Shubman Gill’s stunner to dismiss Ross Taylor has been voted as the @Nissan #POTT – Play of the Test 👏Watch the catch again 📽️#WTC21 | #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/a1Tt9zsKen

— ICC (@ICC) June 28, 2021

The development comes at an inopportune time for Shubman Gill. After an indifferent Test series against England at home, he looked to have regained some decent touch during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.

The 21-year-old returned a steady 64-ball knock of 28 and a 33-ball 8 from the two low-scoring innings at Southampton.

Who can replace Shubman Gill for the England Tests?

❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/pav2zMfgJX

— K L Rahul (@klrahul11) June 22, 2021

Shubman Gill's highly impressive debut in Australia and his partnership with Rohit Sharma looked to be the answer to Team India's long-pending opening conundrum.

However, his absence won't trouble the team much, at least initially. India have Shubman Gill's precursors Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul in the squad as opening replacements.

Agarwal hasn't featured in an international game in England but has the experience of 14 Tests behind him. Meanwhile, Rahul has played 36 Tests for India, scoring over 2000 runs at an average of 34.59. He also has a stunning knock of 149 runs to his name in the English conditions, which came during a tour in 2018.

The first Test will commence on August 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham and the final contest will be played in Manchester from September 10-14.