India captain Shubman Gill didn't walk out to bat in the warm-up match after picking up an impact injury to his right ring finger in Thursday’s training session in Colombo. According to the media reports, the medical team decided to keep him off the field on Day as a precaution for the three-day game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI. Initially it was expected that Gill would take part on Day 2, but the latest update is that the Indian captain will not feature in the warm up match. This news was confirmed when Ravindra Jadeja came into bat at Number 4 instead of the Indian captain.
Yesterday the BCCI put out a tweet which read, “Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India's practice on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress.”
However the latest reports tell that Shubman Gill is ruled out of the warm up match. It is a big blow and India will hope their captain can get fit in time for the first Test which will start next week. The right hander has been the most important player in this Indian side with both bat and leadership since taking over the Test captaincy in England. He is also the leading run scorer in this format over the last year for India.
Day 2 Update: Sri Lanka XI vs India Warm-Up Match
Sri Lanka Cricket XI were batting first and put up 363/8 on the first day of the warm-up match. Both the openers scored half centuries while it was a struggle for the Indian pacers. Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar and Kuldeep Yadav were all amongst wickets. Day 2 started with India losing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck. It was a loose shot by the left hand batter who was caught at point. The Karnataka duo of KL Rahul and Padikkal put on 96 runs for the second wicket before Rahul was dismissed for 40.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was promoted to Number 4 spot in the absence of Gill as India are 126/2 in the second session. It is expected that India will bat the entire day today and on Day 3, both sides will bat 45 overs each. The biggest spotlight will be on the fitness of the Indian captain. The BCCI medical staff will reassess in the coming days, and a clearer picture of his fitness is expected in the coming days. The practice game remains India's final chance to fine-tune combinations and adapt to Sri Lankan conditions before the Test begins next week.
