"Shubman Gill seems okay at this point": Rohit Sharma

Shubman Gill (Pic: File Pic)

After losing the first Test match against New Zealand, Team India skipper Rohit Sharma gave a hint at Shubman Gill's fitness who missed out on the opening match.

The absence of Shubman Gill was visible in India's batting lineup. Stellar knocks from Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra and bowling brilliance from Matt Henry and William O'Rourke helped New Zealand register their first Test victory in India after 36 years.

Despite fine knocks from Sarfaraz Khan and Pant, India faced a collapse after the introduction of the new ball and could set only 107 runs for the Kiwis, which they chased down successfully.

Speaking about the match in the post-match presser, Rohit Sharma said about Gill, "Shubman Gill seems okay at this point in time."

During the match, Gill was often witnessed practising in the nets, seeming to have overcome his fitness issues.

Also Read: World Test Championship: India remain on top despite losing vs New Zealand

Speaking about Rishabh, Rohit said that he had a massive operation on his leg after his life-threatening road accident back in December 2022 and was not comfortable while running during his knock of 99 as he was hit on his knee while wicketkeeping in the first innings of New Zealand. He said that there is a need to be careful with him and others facing injuries.

On the second day of the first Test match, Rishabh Pant's knee was hit by Ravindra Jadeja's delivery. Following the incident, he was forced to walk off the field and Dhruv Jurel entered to keep the wickets.

"He (Pant) had a massive operation on his leg, so we all know what he went through. It is just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not comfortably running. He was trying to only put the ball in the stands," said Rohit.

"He has had a lot of minor surgeries and one big surgery on his knee and he went through a lot of trauma, to be honest, in the last one-and-a-half years. So it is just about being extra careful, not [just] careful with him."

"When you are keeping, you have to bend every ball with your knee going down and the wicket being what it was, we thought it is the right thing to do for him to stay inside and then get 100 per cent ready for the next one," he concluded.

Speaking about Rishabh Pant's batting style, Rohit Sharma said that it is Pant who himself decides what to do and there is nothing you can speak to him.

"No one knows what goes in his mind, to be honest. He decides what he wants to do. I don't think there's anything that you need to speak to him [about]. We spoke to him about 'please understand the situation' and stuff like that, but that is Rishabh - he wants to play in a certain way and then, as a captain, as a coach, we want to back that because like he has produced results for us having that mindset. So let him go and play freely," said Rohit Sharma.

(With ANI Inputs)