Pataudi Trophy 2021: Shubman Gill doubtful after suffering shin stress fracture

Team India dealt with a blow ahead of the five-Test series against England for the Pataudi Trophy, starting August 4. It was revealed on Thursday that young opener Shubman Gill had suffered a stress fracture to his shin, while it could rule him out for the entire tour.

According to PTI, Gill's injury could take up to two months to heal. Also, it has been recognised that it is an old injury that resurfaced during the just-concluded 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship final, held last week in Southampton against New Zealand, which India lost.

"Shubman has sustained a shin stress fracture, which will keep him out of action for minimum two months, which effectively rules him out of the first three Tests against England in August. It will be a race against time to get him fit for the final two Test matches in September after completing rehabilitation," a source was quoted as saying.

"Stress fractures in shin are not very threatening, but time-consuming in terms of rest and rehabilitation. If it would have been shin fracture, then it could have taken more than three months, but shin stress fracture injury normally takes anything between eight to ten weeks to heal," a former Indian pacer quoted.

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Meanwhile, if Gill is indeed ruled out of the series, India has enough backup options. The likes of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are the ones who can fill in for him, while Abhimanyu Easwaran is another option in the reserves.

Gill's absence could mean a significant loss for the Indians, as the youngster has been on the rise since making his debut during India's triumphic stint in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last December. Having played eight Tests to date, he has scored 414 runs at an average of 31.84. However, his outing in the WTC final did not turn out to be effective, scoring just 28 and eight in both innings.

Agarwal happens to be India's first-choice reserve opener, while he can also bat in the middle-order if needed, as he did during the Brisbane Test earlier this year. As for Rahul, he has failed to make it to the playing XI for Team India in the longest format for almost a couple of years now.

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