Shubman Gill injury is not as simple as a ‘neck spasm’

So, there is more to than meets the eye. To cut a long story short, news of Shubman Gill suffering a neck spasm and being admitted in a hospital in Kolkata during the first Test and now advised rest is not as simple as it is being made out. It was a do-or-die situation for India at the Eden Gardens and the Indian Test captain did not come out to bat in the second innings, where the hosts lost by 30 runs. The second Test will be held in Guwahati.

The news which has come out in public domain is, Gill will not be flying out to Guwahati. This writer has learnt, news of Gill not being allowed to fly means the medical issue is not just a neck spasm but something more serious. As per an official source, the MRI done on Shubman Gill diagnoses it as “Inter-spinous ligament injury.” This has been posted on social media.

One Turf News spoke to a few sports orthopaedic surgeons and physios. The unanimous view is Gill’s injury is not a neck spasm and an inter-spinous ligament injury will take time to heal. “Inter spinous ligament injury in the cervical spine involves damage to the ligaments that connect the spinous process of the vertebrae. Perhaps, conservative treatment will be with a soft cervical collar,” said Dr Sarthak Patnaik, a leading ortho surgeon who practices in Bhubaneswar. Dr Patnaik was clear, without seeing the MRI report he cannot pinpoint the exact damage or how long Gill will be away from cricket.

Going by what has been put out by the BCCI, there is no clarity. To expect more from them is futile, as was the case even when Jasprit Bumrah had got injured during the fifth Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy Series earlier this year in Australia. An MRI scan was done on Bumrah at that time but details were not disclosed. The fast bowler was out for a long period and returned midway during the IPL 2025 season.

Coming back to Gill, there is every reason the BCCI can be tight-lipped over a patient confidentiality clause. However, being the India captain, fans have a right to know if Gill sustained an injury, when did it happen and how serious is it. Obviously, the MRI scan report will not be made public. It appears, Gill will not only miss the second Test but also the ODI series against South Africa.

Interestingly, ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who sustained a spleen laceration and was hospitalised in Sydney last month was also critical. The doctors in the Sydney hospital stablised him after his blood pressure had dropped due to blood leakage. Imagine, both the captain and vice-captain of the ODI side are going to be out, this is a bad time for Indian cricket.

Perhaps, the BCCI should consider telling folks what the real situation is, rather than lead to intense speculation on social media.