Home
Rishabh Pant has been confirmed as India's captain for the second Test against South Africa that will commence from November 22. Regular skipper Shubman Gill has been ruled out due to the neck injury that he sustained in the previous Test. The 26-year-old had suffered the injury during India's first innings and didn't return to the field for the remainder of the match.
Pant is set to become India's 38th captain in Test cricket. He had taken up the leadership duties in Gill's absence during the first Test as well. He has also previuously captained both the Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL so he does have the experience of being a skipper.
Pant honoured to become the skipper
Pant shared his views on becoming the captain and remarked that even though a one-off Test isn't the scenario that he wanted, he is still very proud to be handed the opportunity of leading the Indian team in the format.
"A one-off Test is not the ideal scenario for a captain, but I'm thankful to the BCCI for giving me this opportunity. Leading your country in a Test is the proudest moment for a player," Pant said at the pre-match press-conference.
On the other hand, despite travelling to Guwahati with the team, there were always uncertainties regarding Gill's participation in the second Test. India will be hoping for Gill to recover in time as they have a three-match ODI series coming up that will commence from November 30.
India look to avoid series defeat
Meanwhile, it is essential for India to win the second Test against South Africa in order to avoid a series defeat at home. The hosts had failed to chase down the 124-run target in the first Test at Eden Gardens and had lost by a 30-run margin. It remains to be seen if they will be able to bounce back from that defeat and improve their performance in the upcoming match at the Barsapara stadium.
ADVERTISEMENT
